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NBA Trade Rumors: Bradley Beal Might Switch Teams to Join Tokyo Olympics Teammate

Published 07/25/2021, 1:37 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The NBA off-season has officially kicked in and rumors are flowing. Notably, it is the Washington Wizards who may lose two of their superstars. Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal may bid adieu to Washington in the off-season.

Both these stars teamed up last season and did a decent job. They successfully took the Wizards to the playoffs, thanks to their heroics late in the season.

However, now, they may want to compete for a championship. Westbrook has been linked with the Lakers as a possible destination.

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Moreover, multiple teams have shown interest in trading for Bradley Beal in this off season. Beal has been one of the top scorers, as he averaged nearly 32 points per game this season. Jason Dumas believes that if Beal decides to leave, he will team up with his longtime friend.

Kevin Durant Can Overtake Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James at the Tokyo Olympics 2020

Bradley Beal to Celtics?

Jason Dumas reported that if Beal puts in a trade request, his most favourable destination will be with the Boston Celtics. He would team up with his long-time friend Jayson Tatum and try to compete for a championship.

Now, Tatum and Beal know each other since childhood. They attended the same school and lived close by. However, they never got to play together because Tatum is 5 years younger to Bradley Beal. But, Tatum did play for a team coached by Beal, which was an AAU team.

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Beal spoke about their relationship during the time he was with the USA basketball team for the Olympics. He said that he can’t wait to pay alongside Tatum. Beal said:

“We’re both excited. For one, we grew up five minutes from each other. To have two guys from the same high school on the same team, I don’t know if that’s ever happened in USA Basketball”

via Getty

They share a special relationship, and even Tatum holds praise for his compatriot. He says that Beal is one of the players he has always looked up to. Moreover, he also opened up that he was upset because Beal couldn’t join Team USA for the Olympics due to health and safety protocols.

Would Beal and Tatum work?

Even though Beal and Tatum are childhood friends, they have never played together on a single team. They have had great chemistry in person; however, co-existing on the court is a whole different story.

USA Today via Reuters

Both are primary scorers; hence, they will have to make sacrifices along the way. Moreover, the Celtics may manage to keep Jaylen Brown in their roster despite bringing Beal. Therefore, sacrifices will be inevitable. Currently, all the 3 average almost 20 shots per game. This will go down subsequently if they play together.

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Moreover, Boston would most likely have to trade away Marcus Smart and Evan Fournier to acquire Beal. However, with the desperation to compete for a championship, Boston would be willing to make sacrifices. If they do, they will surely house a very exciting trio next season.

USA Today via Reuters

To sum it up, it all depends on their willingness to sacrifice from their own game in order to win a championship.Would you like to see Bradley Beal don the Celtics uniform next season?

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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