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Don't be surprised if the Celtics sign Bradley Beal.
The Celtics have been linked to the three-time All-Star before, but that's not the only reason. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently said he wouldn't rule out Boston for Beal, who is currently an unrestricted free agent.
How aggressively should the Celtics pursue Beal? Here's why he does and doesn't make sense for Boston.
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Why the Celtics should sign Bradley Beal
The biggest reason the Celtics make sense for Beal is because of his connection to Jayson Tatum.
It is no secret that the two are close friends. They're both from St. Louis and went to the same high school.
Despite their connection, Beal claims they've never actually been teammates.
The closest they've come to being teammates was at the Tokyo Olympics. Both made Team USA's roster, but Beal wasn't actually able to make the trip to Tokyo because he had to enter health and safety protocols before the tournament began, leading to him being replaced.
Beal has called their relationship "special." They'd probably enjoy sharing the court in Boston.
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Beal wouldn't likely be an expensive signing. After agreeing to a buyout with the Suns, he signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Clippers. Plus, money shouldn't be an issue for Beal, who is one of the highest-paid players in NBA history and is still on Phoenix's books for — are you sitting down for this? — $19.4 million each of the next four seasons thanks to that buyout.
Lastly, Beal's days of being an All-Star are likely behind him, but he can still score. He averaged 17.6 points per game while shooting 40.7 percent from 3 over his two seasons with the Suns.
That player would pack a decent scoring punch off the bench for the Celtics.
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Why the Celtics shouldn't sign Bradley Beal
It depends on which version of Beal the Celtics would get.
The Beal we saw in Phoenix could have value as another scorer and shooter off the bench. The Beal we saw in Los Angeles raises questions about how much he can still contribute to a contender. He'd also crowd the backcourt for the likes of Mike Conley, Hugo Gonzalez, Ron Harper Jr. and Baylor Scheierman.
Beal averaged a career-low 8.2 points per game for the Clippers last season while shooting 37.5 percent from the field. He only appeared in six games because of a "very fluky" hip injury that required season-ending surgery.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported at the time that Beal was expected to make a "full and complete recovery." We haven't seen Beal play since his surgery, but the Celtics would almost certainly do their due diligence, even if they signed him to a minimum contract.
While Beal's ability to space the floor would make him a natural fit in Joe Mazzulla's 3-point-happy system, he's never been known as a lockdown defender. He wouldn't be asked to do nearly as much offensively on the Celtics, which would help him conserve energy on defense, but teams would still target him when he's on the court.
Overall, Beal would likely be a low-risk signing at this stage of his career, but there is an argument to be made that the Celtics would be better off looking elsewhere to round out their roster.
