Another year, another Bradley Beal-to-Boston rumor.
Because of Beal's lifelong friendship with fellow St. Louis native Jayson Tatum, the Celtics automatically are considered a potential destination whenever the Washington Wizards star's name is brought up in trade talks. That was the case again on Wednesday when The Athletic's Shams Charania reported the Wizards will work with Beal to find a trade if the franchise decides to undergo a rebuild.
Our Chris Forsberg recently explained why the Celtics trading for Beal is extremely unlikely, but that hasn't stopped some from dreaming. Stadium's Jeff Goodman, for example, is all in on the idea of Beal donning Celtics green next season.
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He made the case for a Beal-to-Boston trade during the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast.
Celtics Talk: To Beal, or not to Beal? That is the question | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"Imagine playing Tatum and Beal in pick and roll together, how deadly that would be," Goodman said. "I mean, it would be ridiculous because Beal can really pass the ball when he needs to. ...
"And a lot of people are saying, 'Jaylen Brown is the better player.' And you know what? I'm actually OK with that. You want to say that? I'm fine with saying Jaylen Brown is the better player. Is he the better player in Boston with Jayson Tatum? That's my biggest thing. To me, I think Beal is better in Boston with Tatum."
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Goodman believes the Celtics are better off pairing Tatum with his close friend than giving it another shot with the same group.
"Yeah, you can run it back. And I think you're going to have a very similar outcome," he said. "I think you can get close, but I don't think you win it all. I don't think they can beat Denver, to be honest. And who knows what those other Eastern Conference teams do. If Milwaukee flips (Khris) Middleton and they get Beal, they're better. ...
"So Beal, I hate the 'He's turning 30, he's too old.' You're playing in windows right now in the NBA for two or three years. You can't look beyond that because every player can request a trade in two or three years. Everybody.
"Jayson Tatum, if you don't make the right moves here in two years, he can be like, 'You know what? I'm out.' And what do you do? They have no choice anymore. The players have all the leverage to do whatever they want. So I think you play for a two, maybe a three-year window. And Brad Beal's 30. He's not 35."
Also discussed in the episode: Is Beal a better fit for Boston than Jaylen Brown? Concern over Beal’s age and contract? What other moves could the Celtics make? And players to keep an eye on in the draft.
Check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network or watch it on YouTube.