Boston Celtics Rumors: Interesting development in potential Beal trade

While everyone’s attention is focused on the New England Patriots upcoming bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that isn’t the only major event happening in the New England area this upcoming week. For the Boston Celtics, they will make their return to the court the day after the Patriots Week 4 contest, kicking off their preseason action on Monday, October 4th against the Orlando Magic.

Expectations for the Celtics aren’t necessarily high this season, but it’s safe to say fans are expecting a bounce back season after they trudged to a 36-36 record last season. With a revamped front office, coaching staff, and roster, it will be interesting to see how this version of the Celtics fares in their return to the court this season.

Despite having to listen to fans clamoring all offseason long for the team to swing a move for a big star, they opted to stand pat and revamp the team’s depth. However, a move for a star could still be made if the front office felt so inclined, although it would be quite difficult to pull off. One player who has been linked with a move to Boston all offseason long is Bradley Beal.

However, a recent development in his trade status has deemed a move more unlikely than it already was. A report came out yesterday that said Beal’s former backcourt running mate, Russell Westbrook, encouraged Beal to look for a trade away from the Washington Wizards with him. Beal ultimately declined, but supported Westbrook in his decision to look for a trade out of Washington.

What does this mean for the Boston Celtics?

This seemingly puts a damper on the Celtics, or any team for that matter, making a trade for Beal this season. Beal is set to hit free agency next offseason, so maybe the Wizards look into a potential trade for him midway through the season if they struggle to win games.

The Boston Celtics have long been linked as a potential destination for Beal should he request a trade out of Washington. Beal and Celtics star Jayson Tatum have been friends since their early days in St. Louis, and have always seemingly been open to joining forces and playing together down the line. With the Celtics needing a guard after moving on from Kemba Walker, this offseason seemed like the perfect time to unite the two stars in Boston and let them chase titles.

Despite the rumors that a Beal trade was imminent in the hours leading up the 2021 NBA Draft, Beal has stood pat despite Westbrook getting sent to the Los Angeles Lakers. Beal has made comments in the past about him wanting to stay in Washington and build a title contender, and they were certainly put to the test this offseason.

But now Beal is almost certainly set to stay in Washington until at least the trade deadline. If Washington ends up laboring through a losing season, which is certainly a possibility, they may decide to get something in return for Beal rather than let him walk for nothing in free agency. Boston could look to swing a trade for Beal then, and lock him up to an extension and insert him alongside Tatum and fellow star Jaylen Brown.

The alternative is to fully wait things out, and see if the team could somehow snag Beal in free agency. That of course would require Beal to not agree to an extension with the Wizards beforehand, which is a possibility, and the Celtics to have enough money to make a deal Beal would accept.

This seemed like a possibility earlier on in the offseason, but that was before the front office shelled out new extensions for Marcus Smart, Rob Williams, and Josh Richardson. After an offseason where trades were the main source for acquiring new players, it seems like that is set to continue to be the status quo for the upcoming season.

So for those of you who were still holding out for a potential Beal trade, it’s probably time to concede defeat for the time being. Maybe something will happen at the trade deadline, or Beal hits free agency and the Celtics convince him to give it a run with Tatum and Brown. But until then, the Boston Celtics pursuit of Bradley Beal appears to be over.