No. 5: Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are reportedly uninterested in trading Jaylen Brown for Bradley Beal, so most assume the trade rumors would die there. But could they get a deal done without Brown involved?
The first, most obvious issue with this deal is the sheer number of players that would have to be involved to make it worth it for Boston (and to match salaries). That alone makes it relatively unrealistic.
Add in the cap ramifications Boston would have to deal with having three max players on the team, and it just might not be worth it.
But if Beal really wanted to play with Jayson Tatum, his childhood friend, and he requested a trade to Boston, maybe there could be something here. At the very least, it would create a star-studded lineup.
For the Washington Wizards, adding Robert Williams and Payton Pritchard should be intriguing, and they could flip Malcolm Brogdon for a solid package of players and/or picks (or keep him and attempt to be competitive).
The other players involved in the trade would be thrown in for salary-matching purposes. The only other way to get this done without Brown would be to add Marcus Smart or Derrick White on top of Brogdon, and at that point, the Celtics may prefer to have depth. (And Washington would probably rather have Williams and Pritchard anyway.)
This is one of the more unrealistic trades on the list, but with Beal’s connection to Tatum, the idea had to be included.
Potential starting lineups
Celtics: Marcus Smart, Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford
Wizards: Malcolm Brogdon, Corey Kispert, Deni Avdija, Kristaps Porzingis, Robert Williams