After multiple years of Bradley Beal being linked with a potential move to the Boston Celtics, the All-Star guard is finally available. However, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Boston is unlikely to throw their hat into the ring, despite Beal’s well-documented friendship with Jayson Tatum.
“Don’t count on Boston entering the Beal trade conversation,” Fischer wrote. “The Celtics intend to move forward with their All-NBA tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, sources said, despite Beal’s immense talent and close relationship with Tatum, a friendship that dates back to childhood roots in St.”
On Wednesday, June 14, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Washington Wizards would work with Beal in order to find him a trade if the team decides to hit the reset button and enter a full-scale rebuild.
The Wizards ended the regular season as the 12th seed, despite having a hefty payroll that includes both Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, along with the impressive Kyle Kuzma.
Looking beyond the Bradley Beal discussion, Fischer’s report is notable because, if true, it essentially puts the Jaylen Brown discourse to bed. Since the Celtic’s season ended after game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, discussion surrounding Brown’s future with the Celtics has been rife — as it is every offseason, it seems.
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After being named to the 2023 All-NBA Second Team, Brown became eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension, which is colloquially known as a supermax. Yet, with Tatum also eligible for the mammoth contract in the near future, there have been some concerns as to whether the Celtics would commit such a significant portion of their cap space to two players.
Part of that concern has been due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will introduce a second tax apron that includes multiple penalties for teams that reside above the said apron. Those penalties will also become more severe for repeat offenders. As such, teams who fall into the new second apron will be limited in how they build out their roster, thus restricting their ability to remain competitive in free agency and the buyout market.
Throughout Brown and Tatum’s tenure in Boston, the Celtics have been among the best teams in the NBA and have consistently endured deep postseason runs. As such, it makes sense that Brad Stevens would want to keep his star duo together, knowing that the team is moving closer to winning that elusive 18th championship banner.
