If Celtics Are Considering Bradley Beal, They Should Actually Sign This Future Hall Of Famer
If Celtics Are Considering Bradley Beal, They Should Actually Sign This Future Hall Of Famer originally appeared on NESN.
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The Boston Celtics are apparently considering signing Bradley Beal in free agency.
It’s a move that might necessitate some roster movement — maybe even with the newly signed Mike Conley.
But if that’s going to happen, and Conley is going to have to be shoved aside for a different veteran guard, is Beal really the best choice?
Because also still a free agent is Russell Westbrook.
And now yes, it’s fair to scoff a bit at the idea of Russ joining a contender at this point in his career.
But we aren’t talking about a lead role. We’re talking about a guy who can come off the bench and make the players around him better.
Beal, for all the talents he had at his peak, isn’t much more than a scorer at this point, and if he struggles with efficiency, then what is he accomplishing for a team?
Westbrook, on the other hand, can still score, can still rebound and can still pass.
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Sure, he wouldn’t fit the Celtics’ major 3-point shooting structure.
But he’d also provide a totally different look. It could be a crazy lineup like Westbrook, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser. If the other team didn’t have a big, a group like that could cancel out the fact that Westbrook can’t shoot. He’d be like the 5-man on the floor with plenty of spacing around him.
There’s been nothing linking Russ to the Celtics, so this probably isn’t a real possibility. But why wouldn’t someone suggest it?
Maybe there’s already knowledge that it wouldn’t work.
Or maybe they’ve simply not considered it deeply enough.
Westbrook isn’t a player who wins you a championship in a key role. But what if he can simply focus on the things he does well?
On a team as deep and talented as Boston, Westbrook could be almost a luxury.
And given the level Beal has shown lately, maybe it’s worth considering Russ instead.
