Bradley Beal has been with Washington Wizards for his entire NBA career. But his loyalty might be tested this summer.
Amid speculation that Beal is expected to decline his $36.4 million player option and enter unrestricted free agency on June 30, Audacy's Quinton Mayo reported on his podcast, The Quinton Mayo Show, that the All-Star guard has yet to make up his mind about whether he'll re-sign with Washington or seek greener pastures.
"From what I've heard in my conversations with people close to Brad (and) with Brad, he's truly undecided about what's next," Mayo said.
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The Boston Celtics have been rumored as a potential landing spot for Beal thanks to his close relationship with Jayson Tatum. (The two grew up together in St. Louis, and Beal even babysat Tatum as a young child.)
Beal followed Tatum's Celtics closely throughout their playoff run -- he was at TD Garden for Game 4 of the NBA Finals -- and Mayo believes that Beal might be longing for more after watching Tatum and a trio of his former Wizards teammates compete in the NBA Finals.
"I think watching Boston get to the NBA Finals and then seeing a guy like Jayson Tatum, who is his young bull, play at the highest level -- I think that did something to him," Mayo said.
"I think seeing guys like Otto Porter Jr. win a ring, Chris Chiozza (former Wizard) win a ring, Gary Payton II win a ring -- I think all of those things have definitely factored into the next decision that he makes."
Boston Celtics
Goodman: C's would be 'top of the list' if Beal wants out of Washington
Beal is a very accomplished player who has made three NBA All-Star teams and was Third-Team All-NBA in 2021. But he's never advanced past the second round of the playoffs over 10 seasons in Washington, and the Wizards aren't close to being serious contenders in 2022-23.
Beal has stuck it out through several roster experiments in Washington, including one season with an aging Paul Pierce in 2014-15 and a partnership with Russell Westbrook in 2020-21 that resulted in a first-round playoff exit. We wouldn't blame the 28-year-old for wanting to leave the Wizards for a serious title contender before he passes his prime.
Boston, with two young stars in Tatum and Jaylen Brown, would seem like an enticing place for Beal to compete for a championship. Acquiring Beal would be difficult for the Celtics and would require them to part with at least one core player (potentially Brown), but if Beal indeed wants out, expect Boston to be mentioned as a potential destination.