NBA Trade Rumors: Boston Celtics on top of Bradley Beal's wishlist if he leaves Washington Wizards

The Boston Celtics are a team that Bradley Beal could be interested in joining if he leaves the Washington Wizards as per NBA trade rumors.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported on Saturday that the Wizards star is considering handing in a trade request to his current employers.

Fischer also mentioned in his report that the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are among the teams interested in Beal's services.

NBA front offices have been told Bradley Beal is considering a trade request prior to the draft next week, per B/R's @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/ubpiux8MZr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2021

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As per Jason Dumas of KRON4 News, sources have mentioned the Boston Celtics are likely to be Bradley Beal's preferred destination due to his relationship with Jayson Tatum.

He wrote the following:

"Source: If Brad Beal does in fact move forward and request a trade, Boston would be a preferred destination to play with longtime friend Jayson Tatum and compete for a championship."

Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal grew up together in the St. Luis area. They have been friends for a very long time. The duo were set to team up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Team USA, but Beal was sidelined recently due to Covid protocols and hasn't traveled with the squad to Japan.

Bradley Beal is 28 years old and is in the prime of his career. The Wizards aren't looking like perennial playoff contenders at the moment, which is one of the major reasons behind his potential departure from the club.

NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring what assets the Boston Celtics will have to give up to acquire Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum could be on the same team next season if the Boston Celtics manage to acquire the former.

Bringing in Bradley Beal via trade could be a costly move for the Boston Celtics. As Fischer also mentioned in his report, any potential trade package to acquire Beal will certainly have to include the Celtics' young All-Star Jaylen Brown.

The Boston Celtics, however, are unlikely to have a problem with that, as NBA trade rumors in the past have suggested they won't mind including Brown in a package to acquire a superstar like Beal or Damian Lillard should they be on the market this offseason.

Bradley Beal is believed to be the kind of player who would instantly help a winning team like the Boston Celtics contend for the title. At the moment, the Celtics are looking to get back into championship contention and would benefit better from having Beal on their roster than Jaylen Brown in that aspect.

Beal finished the 2020-21 NBA season as the second highest scorer behind Stephen Curry, averaging 31.3 points per contest across 60 games.