Breaking: Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal have mutual interest in teaming up this season. Will Tatum request a trade from Boston?
The Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards are currently opposites in the Eastern Conference as one team is currently in the playoff race while the other is struggling to win a game.
The Boston Celtics were projected to be at least a top-six-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the Celtics have yet to prove their projections as they have a record of 2-5 while being the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have been abysmal as they have one of the worst defensive ratings in the league while also being predictable on offence. In a recent post-game interview with Marcus Smart, he revealed that unless Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown learn to pass the ball and rely on others on offence, the Celtics will continue to lose games.
Today, Tatum and Brown are very skilled players in the league and are arguably the best young duo in the NBA. The pair has the potential of making a real impact in the playoffs if they learn how to play as a team. While the season has just started, the Celtics young duo needs to quickly learn to include their teammates if they want a chance at making the playoffs this season.
When evaluating every team in the Eastern Conference, almost every team has a strong case of making the playoffs this season. The Washington Wizards were among the teams that had a chance in making the playoffs this season but were projected by most to make the play-in tournament. The Wizards have a 5-2 record in just seven games into the season, with two of those victories coming from the Boston Celtics. Washington has played above expectation as they are currently top 10 in offensive rating and are 11th in defensive rating among the 30 teams in the NBA! For a team that had the ceiling of making the play-in tournament, the Washington Wizards have already exceeded expectations and are looking to most likely improve their roster.
According to a report by Abby Chin of NBCSBoston, she reveals that Jayson Tatum has had a conversation with Bradley Beal about a potential team-up in either Boston or Washington.
With the Wizards being one of the best teams in the East and Boston being one of the worst, there's a chance that Jayson Tatum could eventually request a trade to join his big brother in the East. While Tatum recently signed a max-extension with the Celtics, a lot has changed since he extended his contract. Boston is a very different team, from Kemba Walker being traded to Brad Stevens no longer being the head coach. Tatum may no longer want to be with depending on if the Celtics can win games.
Tatum has expressed that he would want to play in Boston for the rest of his career as he believes in the legacy and history of the Celtics franchise. While playing with Beal is a goal for Tatum, the ideal situation for the Celtics is to look to trade for Beal if they want to keep one of the future stars in the NBA. The only problem is, Beal countless times has made it clear that he wants to be a Wizard for the rest of his career.
The likelihood of a Beal and Tatum team-up is unlikely but not impossible. If the Celtics continue to struggle and blow leads, expect Jayson Tatum to consider requesting a trade to the Washington Wizards. The duo of Beal and Tatum has the potential to take the league by storm. The offensive potential of the Wizards would be intimidating as they would possess two elite shot-makers and scorers. Suppose the Boston Celtics want to avoid the possibility of Tatum requesting a trade. In that case, they need to improve their roster before the trade deadline to keep the young star happy.