Getty Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal
A big three is the dream for most Boston Celtics fans, where a trade or free-agency signing adds another star to the core of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Sure, we’ve seen iterations of star trios, including the two young wings before, most recently with Kemba Walker, but there’s also been Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Unfortunately, none of those players have worked out for one reason or another.
But one name that keeps cropping up is the Washington Wizards star shooting guard, Bradley Beal. It just so happens that Beal is Tatum’s best friend, as the pair grew up together in St Louis.
Rumors linking Beal, who has a player option on his contract for next season, to Boston have been rife in recent months. The Washington Wizards, to their credit, have tried to build a more competitive team around their star and traded Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers during the off-season to give them more high-level role players in the hope of accentuating Beal’s talents on the court.
However, despite a solid start to the season, the Wizards currently find themselves 8th in the Eastern Conference, with their star player struggling to make an impact. So, could Beal finally become available in trade discussions? Celtics insider Chris Mannix believes Boston’s chances of obtaining Beal are better than ever before.
“The one guy I am keeping a closer eye on these days is Bradley Beal. Because Bradley Beal is not having a good season in Washington, to say the least. He’s having one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. … I wonder if that gives the Wizards, who are in a rebuild and coming back to earth after a fast start, reason to pause. Bradley Beal next season is going to be 29 years old,” Mannix said during a recent show on NBC Sports Boston.
Could the Wizards Hit the Reset Button?
Next year, Beal will enter his age-30 season, while most of the Wizards roster is yet to enter their prime. Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, Thomas Bryant – these players are young, talented role players capable of continuing their development in the coming years. The downside is, none of them fit Beal’s timeline.
“The one guy I’m starting to keep a closer eye on these days is Bradley Beal.”
@SIChrisMannix & @ChrisForsberg_ join @trenni to discuss #NBATradeSZN
“Going into this year, we all assumed that Washington would say, you know what, we want this guy around, five-year max contract, we’re going to give it to him. Now, given the struggles of Beal, do the Wizards kind of change their mind on that at all? Do they say we like our young core, Rui Hachmiura, Spencer Dinwiddie, guys like that. We want more guys that fit that age bracket.
If they do, the Celtics might be a team worth having a conversation with because they do have some young pieces, and they are a place that Bradley Beal would want to go to and stay long-term,” Mannix said.
As Mannix noted, the Celtics have young assets to entice a team like Washington, should they decide to rebuild their roster. Aaron Nesmith could be attractive to a team who can provide him the minutes required to develop, especially after flashing upside as a two-way wing last year, rather than just being a sharpshooter as he was initially billed. Romeo Langford has earned himself a regular spot in the rotation thanks to his perimeter defense and hustle plays. Still, he has yet to scratch the surface of his offensive potential, perhaps a more featured role within the offense could unearth a star-level player.
Of course, you also have Robert Williams, Grant Williams, and Payton Pritchard, who could all be seen as potential pieces to entice the Wizards into parting with their prized asset. And now, with Beal’s contract starting to wind down and no indication of him picking up the player option on his deal, Washington could be ready to start answering the phone.
Beal is Struggling This Season
The Celtics need to be aware of how badly Beal has struggled to start this year, especially from the three-point line.
In 26 games, the St Louis native has shot just 27.1% from three on 5.5 attempts per game. Beal is also averaging his lowest points-per-game total for the last four years, scoring just 22.77 points per contest, per Basketball-Reference.
After seeing Walker struggle for the majority of his time in Boston, the front office may be concerned that Beal’s slump in form could be due to his age and the amount of mileage on his clock. Should they feel like the decline we’re seeing from Beal is irreversible, they may choose to steer clear of any potential deal.
However, it’s far more likely that Beal is adjusting to a new head coach and new teammates and will snap out of his slump as the season goes by. After all, Beal doesn’t rely on his speed the same way Walker does, nor does he rely on elite athleticism, which can always wane over time.
So, while Beal hasn’t had the start to the season he would have wanted, his struggles may be the catalyst for Washington to begin looking at a different future, and that could play right into Boston’s hands.
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