Should Celtics Try To Acquire Bradley Beal From Wizards?

Bradley Beal reportedly could be on his way out of Washington.

Wizards president Michael Winger, Beal and his agent Mark Bartelstein are staying in close contact to discuss trade scenarios, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.

Beal, who turns 30 on June 28, signed a five-year $251 million supermax extension last season that includes a no-trade clause. This means the three-time All-Star has control over which team he’s traded to and what he’s traded for. Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis can decline their player options this year and become unrestricted free agents, so all signs point to a rebuild for the Wizards.

While players like Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell yielded multiple first-round picks last season, that might not be the case for Beal, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on “Get Up” on Wednesday.

This likely will complicate things for the Wizards, who seemingly are staying loyal to a star who played 11 seasons for them but also wants to ensure a solid return for a player still in his prime.

The Boston Celtics have been linked to Beal multiple times in recent years, and this season’s disappointment has linked the Green to even more stars like Chris Paul and Damian Lillard, who didn’t seem too keen on joining the C’s.

The immediate connection for Beal is his friendship with Jayson Tatum. The St. Louis natives have a close bond, and fans have dreamt up scenarios of the pair playing with each other.

The question is who gets sent to Washington? Jaylen Brown immediately would be brought up in discussions, but if he wants to stay in Boston, the trade-off doesn’t seem wise for president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

Brown still is 26 years old and likely is going to get better, especially after his first All-NBA season. While Beal still is in his prime, you know what you’re going to get with him: A great scorer who plays decent defense. It’s hard to argue Beal is an upgrade over Brown.

It’s wishful thinking the Wizards would be content with a package of just Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart or Al Horford, along with multiple draft picks. If that somehow is on the table, and the Celtics can have a Big Three of Tatum, Brown and Beal, then yes, Boston should make that trade.

But, again, it’s a fantasy to think the Wizards want above-average players and low-end draft picks for their longtime star.

It’s a situation worth monitoring, but it would not be wise to throw away the Brown-Tatum duo for Beal.