NBA Rumors: Celtics Could Trade Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart & Draft Picks For Bradley Beal, Per ‘The Athletic’
After a season filled with drama and frustration, the Boston Celtics are currently facing a huge dilemma in the 2019 NBA offseason. Aside from failing to acquire All-Star center Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, rumors are heating up, suggesting that Kyrie Irving will be leaving the Celtics as an unrestricted free agent to chase for his second NBA championship somewhere else. The potential departure of Irving will deeply hurt the Celtics, but they don’t seem to have any intention of undergoing another rebuild.
In a Twitter post, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that the Celtics are already making preparations in case they lose Kyrie Irving and Al Horford in the 2019 NBA free agency.
“The Boston Celtics are preparing for strong scenario that All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Al Horford will leave as free agents league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.”
Instead of going younger, the Celtics are reportedly planning to add quality players whom they believe could help them remain competitive in the Eastern Conference next season. According to Jordan Brenner of The Athletic, if they fail to re-sign Kyrie Irving in the 2019 NBA free agency period, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal will be a “prime option” as court general for the Celtics.
Bradley Beal is yet to reach the level of Irving, but he could end up being a better leader for the Celtics. Beal could form an explosive backcourt duo with Terry Rozier, whom the Celtics could potentially re-sign to fill the void left by Irving at the point guard position. Being an elite three-point shooter, Beal will make it easier for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to penetrate the opposing team’s defense.
Could All-Star guard Bradley Beal be a trade target for the Celtics? https://t.co/emKy9utDqr
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) June 18, 2019
However, in order to convince the Wizards to send Beal to Boston, the Celtics should be willing to make a Godfather offer. The source who spoke to The Athletic‘s Brenner proposed two intriguing trade packages that the Celtics could send to the Wizards in exchange for Beal.
“Washington would need to strongly consider an offer of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and a protected pick for Beal or that Boston could offer Smart, Jaylen Brown and two future first-rounders as an alternative trade,” Brenner said, as quoted by NESN.
The Wizards will likely prefer the trade package including Jayson Tatum. However, after refusing to trade him for Anthony Davis, the Celtics are not expected to make Tatum available in their potential trade negotiation with the Wizards centered on Bradley Beal. The more realistic trade scenario for the Celtics and the Wizards is the deal that would send Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and two first-round picks to Washington in exchange for Beal.
