With the Boston Celtics being eliminated in the first round by the Brooklyn Nets this postseason, it’s clear that changes must be made in Beantown. Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal are two names swirling around the NBA parts of the Twitterverse as potential targets for the Celtics. Those two players would be acquired very differently and would lead to very different situations in Boston. This article will delve into my reasoning as to why I’d rather have Beal on the Celtics than Lillard. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Reason 1: Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal are friends

Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum have been friends for over a decade. They met when a 6 (ish) year-old Beal was babysitting a toddler-aged Tatum. Beal’s mother and Tatum’s mother were great friends, which opened up a friendship for the two sons. Growing up in St. Louis together, Tatum and Beal attended high school together and played basketball together growing up. Their old trainer, Drew Hanlen, speaks very fondly of the relationship between Tatum and Beal since they were teenagers. Throughout each of their tenure’s in the NBA, they’ve maintained a close comradery despite always being on different teams. When asked, both Beal and Tatum have raved about the idea of them being able to team up. This past All-Star Break, they finally got that chance. Sort of. They were able to play together on team Kevin Durant, but I suspect that they are interested in a longer-term union. They’ll be playing with each other this summer in the Olympics for Team USA, which is known for creating relationships. DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving plotted their team-up in Brooklyn during their stint on Team USA together, so it makes sense that something like that can happen (if it hasn’t been in the works already).

— — —

Reason 2: Bradley Beal is easier to acquire than Damian Lillard

While Damian Lillard is rumored to be unhappy in Portland and could be available by trade, the asking price for him would be immense. Lillard is a better player than Beal, and therefore more difficult to acquire via trade. (I’ll go through my mock trade ideas later in the article) Mock trades in which the Celtics trade for Lillard would include the Celtics parting with a combination of valuable assets including (some, not all of) Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, Payton Pritchard, and Aaron Nesmith, along with a massive slew of draft picks. Mock trades in which the Celtics trade for Beal involve the Celtics sending out a vast amount of different packages, but none of them require Boston to completely blow up their core in order to complete the trade. Beal also becomes an unrestricted free agent in the 2022 offseason, the same offseason in which the Celtics have a max slot available for someone just like Beal. If the Celtics wait a season, they could get Beal without having to sacrifice any assets at all! Some people point out that waiting to sign Beal is not as smart as trading for Lillard immediately, but I think keeping their core together and retaining depth while waiting a season for Beal is the better choice. I’d rather have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Bradley Beal, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams III than Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard.

— — —

Reason 3: Damian Lillard’s contract

Right now, Damian Lillard’s contract is pretty fair given his insanely high level of production. But, his contract on the Celtics doesn’t make sense given Boston’s timeline. Tim Bontemps on Twitter, the year that Jayson Tatum decides his future with the Celtics after his current contract extension runs out is the same year that Damian Lillard will be 34 years old and making $50 million a year. That’s not a good financial situation to be in. Tatum needs to be at the forefront of the team, and Lillard’s contract will most likely be widely regarded as one of the worst in the league. Lillard right now is an excellent player, but for the future of this Celtics team, Bradley Beal makes more financial sense.

— — —

Reason 4: It’s supposed to be a big 3, not a big 2!

Jayson Tatum is obviously the cornerstone of this Celtics franchise, as he’s nearly a top 10 player in the NBA. Being paired with Jaylen Brown elevates not only Tatum’s performance but Brown’s too, so breaking them up to acquire Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal wouldn’t make as much sense as just waiting until the 2022 offseason to sign Beal with the max slot that Boston will have. The point of signing Bradley Beal is to form a big 3 in Boston, but trading Brown for Beal (or Lillard) would defeat the purpose of acquiring a 3rd star. My ideal scenario would be if Boston signed Beal next offseason, retaining Brown and Tatum.

— — —

My ideal move for the Celtics

With many possible routes that lead to Beal in Boston, I have a couple of my best-case scenarios to get Beal on the Celtics.

Move #1 (my first choice): Celtics sign Bradley Beal in the 2022 NBA Offseason.

This path is really straightforward. Boston will have a max slot to sign a high-caliber free agent in the 2022 offseason if they choose to do so. If they do intend on exercising that slot (which they most definitely will), one of the best candidates available (that would realistically sign with the Celtics) at that time will be Beal. With players like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Jimmy Butler potentially hitting the open market, Beal is a guy who can fly under team’s radars and be signed by the Celtics.

Move #2 (my second choice): Celtics trade for Bradley Beal.

If I were Boston’s President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, my trade package for Beal would look something like this:

Washington Wizards receive: Al Horford, Romeo Langford, Moses Brown, 2023 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick (all FRP’s via Boston), 2022 second-round pick (via Charlotte).

Boston Celtics receive: Bradley Beal.

This is a mock trade that I’ve workshopped for some time now. The Wizards aren’t going to be a contending team anytime soon, so they are looking for young players and lots of draft picks. This trade incorporates both of those things. Romeo Langford and Moses Brown are two promising young pieces to aid Washington in their rebuild. But the real gold mine in this deal is the 3 first-round draft picks over the next 6 seasons that Washington receives, including two second-round selections in 2022, all unprotected. And for Al Horford, he’s thrown in the deal for salary matching purposes.

For Boston, this deal is a home run. They form their big 3 and solidify their core. And the best part is, they don’t have to part with Jaylen Brown.

Move #3 (my third choice): Celtics trade for Damian Lillard.

Portland Trail Blazers receive: Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, 2023 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick (all FRP’s via Boston), 2022 second-round pick (via Charlotte), 2023 second-round pick (via Oklahoma City).

Boston Celtics receive: Damian Lillard.

In this trade, the Trail Blazers fully commit to a rebuild and give Damian Lillard a better chance to win a championship. They receive tons of young talent, with all-star Jaylen Brown and rising force Robert Williams III headlining Portland’s haul. They also receive a massive slew of first-round picks, and a couple of second-rounders as the metaphorical cherry on top. With this trade, Portland would probably deal C.J. McCollum as well since one doesn't really make sense without the other, but that’s a discussion for another post.

While this is not my ideal scenario for the Celtics, it’s not like it’s a bad one. Lillard is a marvelous talent, and fills a big hole at point guard for Boston. He’s a superstar in this league, but the problem here for Boston is that they part with Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams III. Boston would lose this trade, seeing as they’d decrease their depth and sacrifice a wonderful fit between Brown and Jayson Tatum.

— — —

All in all, neither of these situations would be particularly bad for the Celtics. I might be arguing for what would be considered the unpopular opinion in this scenario, but I feel as though Bradley Beal would be a better fit for Boston, while also being easier to acquire.