Bradley Beal to Boston Celtics? Exploring Wizards trade ideas pairing Jayson Tatum with former St. Louis mentor

Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal teaming up with the Boston Celtics seems like a pipe dream. The duo, together with Jaylen Brown, would likely just be too much for the Celtics’ payroll, particularly with the new CBA.

A different scenario, though, where Brown will become the center of a package for Beal could get things done. “JB,” Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard in return for the Washington Wizards’ franchise player might be the key.

Washington could throw in their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks (top 4 protected) to complete the trade.

For this to happen, Boston would have been convinced that Brown couldn’t be the Robin to Jayson Tatum’s Batman to lead them to the title. Notably, the two-time All-Star will become an unrestricted free agent next season.

After making the second All-NBA team, he could demand a five-year supermax deal of roughly $295 million.

Unless the Celtics believe Brown would be a big part of their championship aspirations, they may balk at that amount. In the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, he was thoroughly outplayed by Miami’s unheralded and undrafted guard/forward Caleb Martin.

The Heat followed the Golden State Warriors' strategy of forcing Jaylen Brown to go to his left. It nearly worked to perfection. He averaged 19.0 points on 41.8% shooting, including a ghastly 16.3% clip from behind the arc.

Brown’s shooting wasn’t the only part of his game that struggled with Miami’s defensive plan to force him to his left. After Jayson Tatum sprained his ankle in the first play in Game 7, the Heat brutally exposed Brown. The All-Star guard committed eight turnovers and repeatedly caused Boston’s offense to stagnate.

Jaylen Brown didn’t look like he was worth the $295 million extension he was eligible to get.

The Washington Wizards, on the other hand, may want a complete rebuild by trading Bradley Beal. Getting Brown’s $31.8 million expiring contract and doing away with Beal’s $250 million deal would be massive to retool the roster.

Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet are also on expiring contracts worth around $7 million. The Wizards will have a ton of cash to splurge after next season.

Washington currently owns the eighth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Depending on how the board looks, they should be able to get an elite talent to build around or get a player who is going to be a cornerstone of the future.

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Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal have long wanted to team up

Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal were briefly teammates while playing for the US Men’s national team. While Tatum starred for the team in Tokyo, Beal couldn’t make the cut as he contracted COVID-19.

The Washington Wizards guard had this to say heading into that opportunity to play with his fellow St. Louis native:

“We’re both excited. For one, we grew up five minutes from each other. To have two guys from the same high school on the same team, I don’t know if that’s ever happened in USA Basketball. Jayson and I have a special relationship and I’m looking forward to it.”

Beal’s no-trade clause will not likely affect a potential trade to the Boston Celtics to play with Jayson Tatum based on that.

The two never played on the same team before as “JT” is four years younger than his mentor. They might finally have that opportunity if the Celtics and Wizards pull off possibly one of the biggest trades in recent history.

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