Danny Ainge could be saving his biggest strike for the summer. The Celtics’ general manager pulled off his first series of deadline deals in five years last week, most notably bringing aboard wingman Evan Fournier to fortify Boston’s second unit.
But Ainge is still eyeing an All-Star addition, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. The NBA Insider reports the Celtics are among several teams interested in Wizards guard Bradley Beal, along with the Heat, Knicks and Pelicans.
Unlike other star players on lousy teams, Beal hasn’t expressed a desire to be traded. In fact, he’s stated the opposite: “If I can control it, I will finish in D.C.,” he said last year.
But since then, Washington has sunk further in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting just 4.5 games out of last place. Beal can leave in free agency as soon as 2022.
“League sources say (Beal’s) decision to play through this season without making a trade request is as much a commitment to see things through this season with Russell Westbrook as it is about waiting until the worst of the coronavirus pandemic passes in the United States before making a life-altering decision,” O’Connor writes.
With that sad reality in mind, it’s likely the Wizards will explore dealing Beal this summer. It’s notable the Heat didn’t trade their bevy of young talent for Kyle Lowry, instead acquiring Victor Oladipo for a 2022 first-round and old friends Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley. That means they could be saving their capital for Beal, though it’s always possible they revisit Lowry in the offseason. The latter is close with Jimmy Butler.
But thanks to Ainge’s hoarding of draft picks (see, it was good for something!), few contenders possess more draft capital than the Celtics. Boston owns first-round picks in each of the next seven drafts.
Meanwhile, Miami owes a first-round pick to Oklahoma City that’s lottery-protected in 2023, 2024, and 2025, before becoming unprotected in 2026.
Beal’s friendship with Jayson Tatum also works in Boston’s favor. As Beal puts it, the two St. Louis natives have known each other “since they were diapers.”
How sweet it would be for them to step onto the Garden's parquet beside each other next season.