NBA Rumors: Wizards Could Trade Bradley Beal To Celtics For Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, And Draft Picks
Since the 2019 NBA offseason started, rumors have continued to circulate around Bradley Beal and his future with the Washington Wizards. Though Beal hasn’t shown any sign that he is no longer happy in Washington, most people see him as one of the NBA superstars who will be traded next. At this point in his NBA career, Beal will be better off joining a legitimate title contender than wasting his prime on a mediocre team like the Wizards.
Beal may not be able to lead the Wizards to the NBA Finals with their current lineup, but he could still be an incredible addition to teams who are in dire need of additional star power. In his recent article, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report created a list of blockbuster deals that could further shake up the power balance in the Eastern and Western Conferences. One of the most intriguing trade scenarios involving Beal is the deal that would send him to the Boston Celtics.
In the proposed trade, the Wizards will be sending Bradley Beal and Ish Smith to the Celtics in exchange for Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, and future draft picks. The Wizards and the Celtics will have to wait until mid-December to push through with the deal since Smith just signed a new contract in the 2019 NBA free agency period. If the trade becomes a reality, it will not only be beneficial for the Celtics but also for the Wizards, especially if they finally decide to undergo a rebuilding process.
“If Hayward were to pick up his player option for the 2020-21 season, this deal wouldn’t save Washington any money, but the Wizards would at least come out of it with a promising young player and multiple picks. That should be preferable to losing Beal for nothing. Again, Washington has some time before it should feel any such pressure, but Boston is in position to pounce if that changes. And if the Celtics could hang onto Tatum and Smart, they’d have some intriguing small-ball lineups at their disposal.”
The three-year, $111 million offer is on the table and Bradley Beal has until Oct. 21 to make his decision.
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— NBC Sports Wizards (@NBCSWizards) August 3, 2019
The Celtics have been hoping to acquire Beal from the time Kyrie Irving hinted at his departure from Boston. The Celtics reportedly considered Beal as a “prime option” to replace Irving. Though they managed to acquire Kemba Walker in this year’s free agency period, it still makes a lot of sense for the Celtics to go after Beal if the Wizards make him available on the trading block. With the years he spent playing alongside John Wall in Washington, Beal definitely won’t have a hard time sharing the backcourt with Walker.
Meanwhile, the deal would allow the Wizards to acquire assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process. Jaylen Brown could be one of the cornerstones of the title-contending team that they will try to build, while the future draft picks would enable them to add more young and promising talents to their roster.
