Could Bradley Beal be the next big star that the Celtics pursue?

Share

In the wake of the Anthony Davis trade, the Boston Celtics no longer have a superstar target in their sights. The trade market doesn't have an obvious superstar available for the first time in what feels like quite a while. But with Danny Ainge still sitting on a treasure trove of assets, the Celtics could still look to be active in attempting to acquire franchise changing players.

In an appearance on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix gave his pick for a potential franchise cornerstone that the Celtics could target. That was Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. Here's why Mannix thinks that Beal could be the next star-caliber player that becomes available.

I lean towards Beal just because he's the obvious guy that could be moved. Ted Leonsis, the owner in Washington, loves Bradley Beal, but a new GM could walk in there and say look, I've got John Wall probably not playing next season. Bradley Beal has three years left on his contract. He is an enormously valuable trade asset. Can you get a Bradley Beal without throwing a Jayson Tatum in a trade? I don't know. But Bradley Beal is the next big star, I think, that could be available.

And as NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg went on to point out, Tatum and Beal have a relationship as they did go to the same high school. So, in the event that the Celtics did have Beal and Tatum, they would have some immediate chemistry.

The Wizards could be heading towards a rebuild, as Wall will likely miss a good chunk of the upcoming season with a torn Achilles he suffered in late January. Wall is entering the first year of a four-year, $170 million supermax extension, so if he can't get on the floor, the Wizards will have a tough time surrounding Beal with solid offensive weaponry. And if the team struggles to start the season, they could move on from Beal to jumpstart a potential rebuild.

Of course, acquiring Beal would be no easy pursuit. He is coming off a season in which he averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, all of which are career highs. He made strides as a distributor with Wall out and as Mannix pointed out, he is on a controllable contract that comes in at roughly $25 million annually, well below the max. So, if he does become available, he could be a sought after target and may require the Celtics to ship out some of their young assets.

In fact, the New Orleans Pelicans are rumored to have an interest in Beal. So, if Washington does decide to sell Beal, the Celtics will have to get into the fray and construct a package that could work for the soon-to-be 26-year-old scorer.

There's no guarantee that Beal will become available. But certainly, his scoring would be a good fit with the Celtics. It will be interesting to see what Washington decides to do with him as they navigate a difficult situation with Wall's injury.

Click here for A. Sherrod Blakely's full Mock Draft 6.0>>>

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.

Contact Us