Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal are old and are forever linked by their St. Louis roots.
Beal, the NBA’s top scorer, served as Tatum’s mentor while he himself rose to stardom.
Despite the proximity, they never played on the same team. That will change on Sunday night, however, when they start in the All-Star Game alongside Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid on Team Durant.
Many Celtics fans hope that this will be the first of many times that Beal and Tatum have joined forces on the court. While the Celtics may need another star to overtake Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers and become legitimate contenders for the NBA championship, it is highly unlikely that Beal was the missing piece this season.
Beal recently signed a contract extension until 2023, with a player option for 2022, and owes $ 28.8 million this season. The exception of the $ 28.5 million traded players from the Celtics is shy about allowing them to absorb Beal’s contract, so the chances of him coming to Boston this season are minimal.
The chances of that happening, however, are a little more promising for the Celtics. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston mentioned how Anthony Davis focused on LeBron James and made it clear that he wanted to play there and James Harden appointed Nets.
If Beal decides that he definitely wants to join Tatum, Forsberg believes that it is not unlikely to think that this could happen in the years to come.
“With every 40-point game where he gets frustrated and loses, he can say, ‘You know, I want to play with Jayson Tatum in Boston. In fact, this is the only place I want to go, ‘”said Forsberg.
Chris Miller, of NBC Sports Washington, is not so convinced of the idea of Beal joining the Celtics at any time.
“Bradley Beal is not going to Boston at all, I’m just going to tell you that,” said Miller. “Bradley is not going anywhere. He has listened in the past two years to all the teams that appear to have a fan base courting Bradley Beal. And why not? This guy is the league’s top scorer, he has become one of the best players in the league and, offensively, he is literally helpless ”.
Miller said it is possible that a phone call happened and the Celtics asked about Beal, but he does not see it as a realistic option. The Celtics are so addicted to Tatum and Jaylen Brown, he said, that it would take a lot of effort to give up on one of them.
He pointed out that Tatum wants to be the top guy and Beal is the top guy, so it may not work on the court because of how much space Tatum still has to grow.
“Jayson is just scratching the surface of how great he can be,” said Miller. “I just don’t see it happening.”
Harrison Barnes, Myles Turner and Jerami Grant, among others, are currently considered potential targets for the Celtics.
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