- Bradley Beal is favored to go to the Boston Celtics if he leaves the Washington Wizards in free agency.
- Beal is rumored to be on his way to declining his $36.4 million player option with Washington.
- It’s an open secret that Beal wants to play with Jayson Tatum whom he grew up with in St. Louis.
Coming off an appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics could be getting a significant upgrade next season.
With reports that Bradley Beal is going to decline his $36.4 million player option with the Washington Wizards, different teams have been linked to Beal. According to the best NBA betting sites, the Boston Celtics are the +300 betting favorite to land Beal if he decides to leave the Nation’s Capital.
Can the Celtics Get it Done?
Get it done☘️ @celtics @RealDealBeal23 @FCHWPO @jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/bvoTba1i5q
— Jaylen Brown’s #1 fan (@CelticssUp) June 17, 2022
It’s no secret that Beal wants to play with fellow St. Louis native Jayson Tatum. Although the Wizards superstar is four years older than the Celtics’ top player, the two grew up in the same neighborhood and Tatum attended the same high school as Beal, just a few years behind. When Beal was in the 12th grade, Tatum was in the 7th. Beal’s mother was the volleyball coach of Tatum’s mom. And so on. The question is if the Celtics can get it done.
Former Celtics executive Ryan McDonough recently talked to NBC Boston and said that the Celtic’ best path to acquire Beal would be in a sign and trade deal since taking on his $36.4 million salary would force them to give up some core players to make the deal happen.
How could the Celtics acquire Bradley Beal?@McDNBA breaks it down on Early Edition pic.twitter.com/NetzSEvBIt
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 20, 2022
The thought of having Beal form a trio with Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston is scary for the other teams. The Celtics currently have the second-best odds to win the 2023 NBA title at +650 but if they were to acquire Beal, they could very well supplant the Warriors (+450) who are on top of the betting boards right now. But then again, getting Beal is easier said than done for the Celtics.
Blazers, Heat, Nets, Hawks, and Nuggets Next
Bradley Beal’s next team (if not Wizards)
Celtics +300
Blazers +400
Heat +500
Nets +600
Hawks +700
Nuggets +750
Lakers +800
76ers +900
Mavs +900
Knicks +1000
Jazz +1100
Clippers +1200
Pelicans +1400
Bulls +1600
Suns +1600
Spurs +1600 pic.twitter.com/tmG9PAOuoo— Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL) June 20, 2022
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor linked Beal to the Portland Trail Blazers for the same reason as Beal is linked to Boston: friendship. Beal is good pals with Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, owing to their time together playing for Team USA. The Blazers traded Lillard’s backcourt partner C.J. McCollum last season. They have Anfernee Simons but getting Beal would push them to the ranks of title contenders. Portland currently has the second-shortest odds to land Beal if he leaves Washington at +400.
Meanwhile, 2022 East top seed Miami is also linked to Kyrie Irving and has the third-best odds to acquire Irving at +400. Currently, the Heat are a +500 to acquire the three-time All-Star guard. The Nets, who have a dilemma with Irving, are next on the betting board at +600 while the Atlanta Hawks are listed at +700 odds and Denver Nuggets at +750.
The L.A. Lakers, who are the betting favorites to acquire Irving, are currently listed at +800 to get Beal. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks are the last teams to have odds shorter than +1000 at +10000. On the other hand, the New York Knicks are currently a +1000 to get the Wizards’ guard. The list goes on, but the bet is contingent on Beal leaving Washington.
