Jayson Tatum Eager to Play Alongside 3x All-Star, Trade Candidate

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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards.

Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal’s relationship has been well documented over the years. Both natives of St. Louis (MO) and alumni at Chaminade High School, both players have traveled a common path to NBA stardom. Yet, while the 27-year-old Beal has manned a mentorship role for the 22-year-old Tatum long before the latter was knocking down daggers with the Boston Celtics, the two have never had the pleasure of playing alongside one another at any level. Tatum is eager to change that… in the upcoming All-Star game, that is.

“I’m extremely excited that we’ll both be starting at the All-Star game next week,” Tatum said of Beal following Boston’s one-point victory over Washington on Sunday. “Hopefully we’ll be on the same team. I’ve never — in organized basketball — played on the same team with him. That’d be special for us if we can.” 

As you could expect, with Beal seemingly wasting away his prime years in D.C., Tatum’s comments have since spearheaded a second wave of “what if” trade talks surrounding Boston and the three-time All-Star guard.

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What Would a Celtics-Bradley Beal Trade Package Look Like?

The Wizards appear bullish in their unwillingness to move on from Beal. Going 7-2 over their last nine games has likely only strengthened that stance. Yet, should they deal the former No. 3 overall pick, one longtime GM informed Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that it would likely take three unprotected first-rounders, two pick swaps, a young player and an expiring contract to pry Beal away from Washington. 

Yet, as NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg recently highlighted, even if the Cs were willing to sacrifice such a steep price to acquire Beal, the likelihood they’d actually be able to do so seems bleak – and frankly, unreasonable. Beal owns a $28.8 million salary in 2020-21 and is approximately $150,000 too expensive to fit into Boston’s $28.5 million traded player exception. Overlooking the finances for a second, Forsberg believes a deal would most likely be centered around fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown – a player, mind you, Danny Ainge was unwilling to deal for James Harden less than two months ago. Re-insert the long-term monetary commitment to Beal, as well as Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, and the Cs would be in near cap pergatory.

A Deal Down the Road May be Far More Likely

Beal is clearly fond of Tatum as both a person and a player. “He’s a special talent,” Beal told reporters of the Celtics forward, who scored six unanswered points to seal the victory for Boston. “Everybody knows our relationship. Everybody knows we compete but we pull for each other. I’m pissed off he actually got to get going against us.”

Adding fuel to the fire, the two “talk daily,” according to Tatum. So, no, the idea of the duo linking up at some point in their careers is not out of the question. In fact, it may even be likely.

So why delay the near inevitable? Well, in the words of Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein, his agent is “an incredibly loyal guy,” arguably to a fault.