Getty Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dribbles during the second half against the New York Knicks.
In what has proven to be the worst kept secret in the NBA, Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal appear to enjoy the idea of one day playing basketball together. With the duo’s wishes to join forces public knowledge at this point, Tatum found little reason to beat around the bush while discussing his part in potentially convincing Beal to join the Boston Celtics, via Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston:
Here’s what Jayson Tatum told me this morning when I asked him about Bradley Beal: ‘Do you even broach the subject of recruiting when you talk to Bradley Beal?’
Jayson Tatum: ‘Yeah. We’ve talked about it plenty of times. I think, moreso, just thinking about how cool it would be to play with him. Just how we grew up and how close we are. It’s something I’ve always dreamed about. We didn’t get the opportunity with the USA team, but we did get to play with each other in the all star game last year which was a special moment. You know what I mean. Just, like playing in the NBA with your big brother. Who wouldn’t want to do that?’
The two notably missed out on the opportunity to team up for an Olympic run when Beal tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the start of the Tokyo Olympics. Tatum and Team USA went on to take home gold in Beal’s absence.
Have the Celtics Fumbled their Opportunity to Land Beal?
Speculation of the two St. Louis natives joining forces — specifically in Boston, has been ongoing for the past calendar year and beyond. At one point, the team looked well equipped to make a run at the three-time All-Star in free agency come 2022, should Beal opt to decline his $36.4 million player option. However, contract extensions handed out to Robert Williams, Josh Richardson and Marcus Smart this past offseason have made the likelihood of the Cs inking Beal to a free agency deal far less plausible. Meaning Beal’s most likely route to Beantown would come via an outright trade or sign-and-trade deal. Problem is, with the way the Wizards have played of late, there’s no guarantee that Beal would want out of Washington.
The Wizards have won four of their last five games, including two victories against the Celtics over their last three. It’s still extremely early, but with a record of 5-1 on the season, Washington looks like potential contenders in the East. For a guy like Beal, whose 10-year career has been somewhat undermined by losing, the taste of winning could be enough for the 28-year-old to reconsider reuniting with his childhood friend — at least for the near future.
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Celtics Insider Not Sold on Beal
Should Beal go the opposite route and choose to bully his way out of Washington, NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg isn’t convinced that gutting their roster in order to acquire Beal is the wisest move for the Cs:
It might be a moot point. The path to delivering Beal to Boston, as has been well documented, is filled with hurdles. It would necessitate Beal either pulling an Anthony Davis-like power play to generate a trade — even then the Wizards would dig in for maximum return — or force the Celtics to trim to bare bones in order to pursue him on the free agent market should he elect to opt out of the final year of his contract (and likely be willing to leave money on the table to sign outright with Boston).
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