Well, that was a fun couple of days. As it turns out, Wizards star Bradley Beal has “no desire” to leave Washington, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Last weekend, reports indicated Beal was on the cusp of requesting a trade. The Celtics were speculated as one of his preferred destinations.
The Wizards were busy prior to the NBA Draft, dealing Russell Westbrook to the Lakers in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Los Angeles' No. 22 pick.
Interestingly enough, the Wizards now have more flexibility to build around Beal. They have multiple rotation centers — Harrell, Daniel Gafford and Thomas Bryan — and Kuzma overlaps with winger Davis Bertans. Washington could flip a couple of those players.
Caldwell-Pope is also close friend of Beal’s. The eight-year veteran averaged 9.7 points per game last season, and is a capable defender.
Perhaps most importantly, the trade creates future salary cap flexibility for Washington, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi points out.
For months, there were discussions about Beal joining the Celtics to team up with Jayson Tatum, his good friend and fellow St. Louis native. They were slated to play together for Team USA, but Beal was removed from the roster due to Covid-19 protocols before the Tokyo Games began.
Beal, 28, is one of the league’s most prolific scorers, averaging 31.3 points per game in 2020-21. He has a player option for the 2022-23 campaign.
With Beal seemingly off the market, the Celtics’ options to add another star to compliment Tatum are now much more limited. They could maybe pull off a deal for Damian Lillard, but it’s unclear how available he is.
Plus, with four years left on his deal, he would almost certainly be costly — especially since the 76ers are reportedly seeking at least one All-Star in return for Ben Simmons.
Ideally, the Celtics wouldn’t have to give up Jaylen Brown in their pursuit of another star. But that may not be possible. That is, if there are even any stars for the Celtics to target.