Getty Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts against the Utah Jazz.
By now, we’re all well aware of the relationship between Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and the walking bucket that is Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal. The St. Louis natives go way back. Both alumnus of Chaminade College Prep, the two publically voiced their excitement to play alongside each other at this year’s All-Star game.
The belief in NBA circles is that the duo would welcome the idea of teaming up on a regular basis at some point during their playing careers. With Beal’s scoring prowess seemingly going to waste in D.C., the league’s leading scorer could theoretically soon budge on his loyalty to the Wiz, seeking greener pastures — and by greener pastures we mean a move to Beantown.
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Should Cs ‘Strongly Consider’ Trading Jaylen Brown?
Acquiring a 27-year-old three-time All-Star who is currently averaging 30.0-plus points for the second consecutive season won’t come cheap. With that said, NESN’s Alexandra Francisco doesn’t believe the Celtics are title contenders under their current construction. In return, the analyst believes that no player aside from Jayson Tatum should be off-limits — that includes first-year All-Star Jaylen Brown.
“When it comes to Beal, there should be no untouchables aside from Jayson Tatum,” Francisco wrote. “The whole point is to get them together. So despite how unlikely it is that a deal like this is worked out this year, if there’s a slight possibility that they can bring him in and still keep Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they should jump on it. Heck, even parting with Brown would have to be strongly considered.”
Wizards Reportedly Not Engaging in Trade Talks for Beal
There are likely too many barriers to overcome for Beal to don a Celtics uniform this season. For starters, his 2020-21 salary of $28.7 million checks in a smidge above Boston’s $28.5 million traded player exception from the Gordon Hayward deal. Even more important, Washington appears to have no interest in even entertaining a potential Beal deal.
“We’ll keep this short: The Wizards and Bradley Beal remain in the same place they were in when the season began,” The Athletic’s Fred Katz and David Aldridge reported. “Washington is not engaging with teams who call about the league’s leading scorer, and Beal has not asked for a trade, according to sources.”
“The Wizards have gotten their point across to the rest of the NBA, as Beal has fallen off ‘Next To Be Traded’ lists.” they added. “Things can change come the offseason, but leading into this deadline, opposing teams in no way expect the Wizards to change their tune and consider parting with their best player.”
As of now, it looks as if the Celtics will have to settle for Brown as Tatum’s running mate — as if that’s a bad thing. The 24-year-old Georgia native has been brilliant in his fifth NBA season, especially on the offensive end where he’s taken his game to new heights. Brown is currently averaging career-highs in points (24.4) and field goal percentage (49.1), establishing himself as one of the league’s elite mid-range players. Furthermore, he’s manned a larger distributor role, posting a personal best 3.9 assists per game for good measure.