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According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal is considering requesting a trade — which has eager Boston Celtics fans chomping at the bit in hopes of seeing Boston land the three-time All-Star.
But, would it be wise for Brad Stevens and the Celtics to acquire Beal via trade instead of signing him as a free agent next summer?
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Voices from the local and national perspectives don’t think so, and it has everything to do with Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe: ‘Not Much Point in Giving Up one Superstar for Another’
ESPN’s Zach Lowe is one of many who don’t believe Boston would ship Brown to D.C. in exchange for Beal.
“Is Boston going to offer Jaylen Brown? I don’t think so,” Lowe said, per ESPN’s Woj & Lowe: NBA Special. “To me, there’s not much point in giving up one superstar for another, if you’re Boston.”
According to B/R, multiple sources say Beal’s wish list of teams includes the Celtics, the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers. But, his impending free agency in 2022, is what makes things trickier for Boston.
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown for Wizards’ Bradley Beal?
While preserving as much cap space as possible, Stevens could attempt to form a new Celtics ‘Big 3’ in one year. However, what’s going to stop teams like the Warriors and Heat — both of whom, are in the midst of attempting to regain supremacy in their respective conferences in 2021-22 — from trading for Beal?
After reaching the 2020 NBA Finals, Miami’s four-game, first-round sweep by the hands of the 2021 champion Milwaukee Bucks is enough for the Heat to want to add a third star to the fold, alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. And when you glance over toward the San Francisco Peninsula — you’ll see the Warriors and its dynasty of yesteryear looking to etch out a new chapter to its storied legacy.
Unlike Boston, the Warriors have the seventh and 14th picks in this week’s NBA Draft to offer the Wizards. Golden State could also offer its prospect in James Wiseman, while Boston, if unwilling to part ways with Brown, could realistically be out of the trade for Beal sweepstakes.
Bradley Beal to the Golden State Warriors?
Jay King of The Athletic also weighed in on the matter, reminding Celtics fans that the only easy path to Beal for Boston is if the Wizards star is vocal about his desire to play for Boston, thus willing to name the Celtics as his preferred destination.
“For the Celtics to find similar leverage, Beal would need to be hell-bent on playing with Tatum,” The Atheltic’s Jay King wrote. “Beal would need to indicated he wants to land in Boston, not anywhere else. He would need to convince other teams they would have little chance to keep him beyond his current contract, which is set to expire next summer.
Then the Celtics could offer matching salary plus all of their future first-round picks, in hope of building a star trio of Tatum, Beal, and Brown.”
It would be similar to what how the Los Angeles Lakers landed All-Star Anthony Davis. While teams were putting together their best offers for the then-New Orleans Hornets star, Anthony’s agent Rich Paul warned potential suitors that Davis was heading to the Lakers in 2019.
For Beal to the Celtics to be a sure thing, it could come down to Beal speaking up. Otherwise, if the Warriors somehow swing a deal with the Wizards and add Beal to their star core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, there’s a good chance the trade leads to Beal seeking out a long-term deal with Golden State in 2022.
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