Bradley Beal has recently emerged as a possible Boston Celtics target. Currently, his impact on the basketball court is in question after his short tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, but his long-term connection to Tatum, along with his talents, would make him a sensible addition for Boston. But the Celtics may have ruled that out by signing Mike Conley Jr.
Conley is one of the NBA's oldest players who certainly isn't the player he used to be, but he showed in the 2026 NBA Playoffs that he can still produce when called upon, even if at a limited capacity. Minnesota had him on the bench during their playoff run before Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles.
Once they called his name, you could say he "stayed ready."
One could argue that he's ring-chasing at this stage of his career, but Conley may have gone to Boston believing he had a legitimate role. Even if the gas tank is legitimately empty (Blake Griffin proved it wasn't when they brought him in at a similar time), Conley deserves a fair shot.
If that's how the Celtics see this, then there's no need for Beal. If they did, they would have signed him. There was a two-day period between when Beal opted out of his deal with the Clippers and when the Celtics signed Conley. Factor in that the Celtics also have the Bi-annual exception to offer, and it feels like they simply chose Conley because they wanted him more than anyone else.
It's also possible and understandable if Beal believes that despite everything that has happened since his fallout in Phoenix, he's better than the third guard role Boston would have given him. He's only a year removed from averaging 17 points per game as a starter, so a transition like that is easier said than done.
The moves the Celtics made have also confirmed that they wanted to get better while staying under the tax. Adding Beal would push them over.
Tatum has almost never influenced Boston's decisions
Tatum has his fair share of friends. He still keeps in touch with his Duke friends, like Harry Giles III and Amile Jefferson. He's still friends with Celtics alumni like Javonte Green, Kemba Walker, and Evan Turner, but that was after they were on the same team in Boston. Even so, there's only been one time his name has gotten his friend a job: hiring Jefferson as part of Joe Mazzulla's staff.
The fact that it is the only time Boston has hired Tatum's friend also shows they may not have hired him for that reason specifically. Beal would fill a need and has a connection there because of Tatum, but the Celtics evidently haven't played that card.
Boston hasn't done a bad job building the right team around Tatum since Brad Stevens took over. He even admitted that Tatum played no part in the Jaylen Brown trade. All of this point to that Tatum trusts them. If Beal is added, it might point more to their desperation to appease Tatum than it would be to get better.
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