Prediction: Beal will sign in Boston in 2022

[bogg]

The price needs to be a bargain to trade now. If things are bumpy and someone offers him a better situation he could walk and you lost assets for a rental. Makes no sense to give up a ton right now.
Irving, Horford, and Hayward all left. Waiting to sign him isn't a bad idea. Now if it's Langford, Grant, TT, a 1st and Fournier fine. Not throwing a bunch of 1st in.

If a Smart-Beal-Jays-Horford team has a poor enough season to cause Beal to run for the hills, then a Pritchard-Nesmith-Jays-Rob team isn't going to be good enough to get Beal to sign here in the first place.

[Csfan1984]

The price needs to be a bargain to trade now. If things are bumpy and someone offers him a better situation he could walk and you lost assets for a rental. Makes no sense to give up a ton right now.
Irving, Horford, and Hayward all left. Waiting to sign him isn't a bad idea. Now if it's Langford, Grant, TT, a 1st and Fournier fine. Not throwing a bunch of 1st in.

If a Smart-Beal-Jays-Horford team has a poor enough season to cause Beal to run for the hills, then a Pritchard-Nesmith-Jays-Rob team isn't going to be good enough to get Beal to sign here in the first place.

If that was the case Irving would have made Kemba not want to sign here. Guys believe they turn things around. Beal would sign here if they wait.

[droopdog7]

Unlikely.  Just better to trade for him now.  Especially since to sign him you basically can't have Smart, Thompson, Fournier, Williams, Williams, Horford, and maybe Langford.

Much better to just acquire him centered on a package of Smart, Thompson, Langford, R. Williams, and future picks.  Then you get to save Horford,, Fournier, and G. Williams to actually build a real team.  You also can then give Beal more years and more money making it far less likely that he would actually leave.

Yea, it's a little counterintuitive, but Boston's better off trading for him (even if it's a S&T next summer, but the earlier the better) than they are signing him for "nothing" because of how much you have to gut the team to clear space. Beal alone you can match with Horford and any contract or Smart and Fournier's likely salary amount, and you'd be tossing them some youth or picks for their trouble.

Yeah, we have to lose a bunch of guys either way.  It would certainly be much easier and more straightforward to trade for him.  Problem is we don't have a lot of value to trade.

[bogg]

The price needs to be a bargain to trade now. If things are bumpy and someone offers him a better situation he could walk and you lost assets for a rental. Makes no sense to give up a ton right now.
Irving, Horford, and Hayward all left. Waiting to sign him isn't a bad idea. Now if it's Langford, Grant, TT, a 1st and Fournier fine. Not throwing a bunch of 1st in.

If a Smart-Beal-Jays-Horford team has a poor enough season to cause Beal to run for the hills, then a Pritchard-Nesmith-Jays-Rob team isn't going to be good enough to get Beal to sign here in the first place.

If that was the case Irving would have made Kemba not want to sign here. Guys believe they turn things around. Beal would sign here if they wait.

If Beal asks for a trade, attempts to steer himself to Boston, and Boston says that they're not interested (burning a year of his remaining prime in the attempted process), I am in no way convinced that he walks on whichever playoff team trades for him. It just seems a great way to get him to open up his "list", and you burn one of the two remaining years on JB's deal before you have to talk him into an extension.

Bird in the hand and all that.

[BruceBanner18]

Ideal headline this off-season: Wizards interested in Evan Fournier

[footey]

Unlikely.  Just better to trade for him now.  Especially since to sign him you basically can't have Smart, Thompson, Fournier, Williams, Williams, Horford, and maybe Langford.

Much better to just acquire him centered on a package of Smart, Thompson, Langford, R. Williams, and future picks.  Then you get to save Horford,, Fournier, and G. Williams to actually build a real team.  You also can then give Beal more years and more money making it far less likely that he would actually leave.

Except that Langford, Nesmith and Robert Williams are the guys that matter for the long term. Horford, Fournier and G Williams do not. Keeping Fournier and obtaining Beal (or anyone other than a center or point guard that starts) effectively deletes any future on the team for Langford and/or Nesmith.

Robert Williams is either a top 10 center, or a dead weight. I have to believe there is a way to save him and find that out.

I think going for Beal is a mistake, but it is better to consolidate around youth and picks than it is to trade for him. I'd rather have Beal and Langford and Nesmith than Beal and Fournier.

In order to sign Beal outright, Robert Williams almost certainly would not be on the team and it is quite possible that Langford would also need to be gone.  There just isn't an easy way to make the room for Beal, with both Brown and Tatum on the team, without basically gutting the roster.  So, if you are basically gutting the team to sign him outright, Boston is just much better off trading for him this summer when it can use expiring contracts of Smart and Thompson as the money, a young player or two, and future draft picks.  Not only do you ensure you land Beal, you get him for an extra year of his prime, and you can save way more of the depth of the team to acquire him.  If by some chance he leaves next summer, well then you have basically max room to sign a different free agent if you let Horford go, but I suspect Beal would end up signing a 5 year max, taking him through his prime and hopefully encouraging both Tatum and Brown to stay past their existing contracts.

Beal, Fournier, Brown, Tatum, Horford is a superb starting 5 and there is some quality young players and depth on the bench in Pritchard, Langford or Nesmith, G. Williams, Parker, Brown, Edwards and then possibly Ojeleye and Kornet.  Even if you bring back the latter two, there are still 2 open roster spots to land some veteran minimum type players.  Maybe Love if he gets bought out (as an example). 

You don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

That starting 5 has zero interior defense and would get crushed by most playoff teams.   

[gouki88]

Tatum, Beal & Brown combined would make 100 million a year..hard to build a team around that much money to 3 players

Milwaukee are doing the same with their big three, same with Brooklyn and Philadelphia. It's very possible

[gouki88]

Unlikely.  Just better to trade for him now.  Especially since to sign him you basically can't have Smart, Thompson, Fournier, Williams, Williams, Horford, and maybe Langford.

Much better to just acquire him centered on a package of Smart, Thompson, Langford, R. Williams, and future picks.  Then you get to save Horford,, Fournier, and G. Williams to actually build a real team.  You also can then give Beal more years and more money making it far less likely that he would actually leave.

Except that Langford, Nesmith and Robert Williams are the guys that matter for the long term. Horford, Fournier and G Williams do not. Keeping Fournier and obtaining Beal (or anyone other than a center or point guard that starts) effectively deletes any future on the team for Langford and/or Nesmith.

Robert Williams is either a top 10 center, or a dead weight. I have to believe there is a way to save him and find that out.

I think going for Beal is a mistake, but it is better to consolidate around youth and picks than it is to trade for him. I'd rather have Beal and Langford and Nesmith than Beal and Fournier.

In order to sign Beal outright, Robert Williams almost certainly would not be on the team and it is quite possible that Langford would also need to be gone.  There just isn't an easy way to make the room for Beal, with both Brown and Tatum on the team, without basically gutting the roster.  So, if you are basically gutting the team to sign him outright, Boston is just much better off trading for him this summer when it can use expiring contracts of Smart and Thompson as the money, a young player or two, and future draft picks.  Not only do you ensure you land Beal, you get him for an extra year of his prime, and you can save way more of the depth of the team to acquire him.  If by some chance he leaves next summer, well then you have basically max room to sign a different free agent if you let Horford go, but I suspect Beal would end up signing a 5 year max, taking him through his prime and hopefully encouraging both Tatum and Brown to stay past their existing contracts.

Beal, Fournier, Brown, Tatum, Horford is a superb starting 5 and there is some quality young players and depth on the bench in Pritchard, Langford or Nesmith, G. Williams, Parker, Brown, Edwards and then possibly Ojeleye and Kornet.  Even if you bring back the latter two, there are still 2 open roster spots to land some veteran minimum type players.  Maybe Love if he gets bought out (as an example). 

You don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

That starting 5 has zero interior defense and would get crushed by most playoff teams.

Brooklyn's healthy starting 5 had even less defence than that one and was smoking everyone until they got hurt

[Moranis]

Unlikely.  Just better to trade for him now.  Especially since to sign him you basically can't have Smart, Thompson, Fournier, Williams, Williams, Horford, and maybe Langford.

Much better to just acquire him centered on a package of Smart, Thompson, Langford, R. Williams, and future picks.  Then you get to save Horford,, Fournier, and G. Williams to actually build a real team.  You also can then give Beal more years and more money making it far less likely that he would actually leave.

Except that Langford, Nesmith and Robert Williams are the guys that matter for the long term. Horford, Fournier and G Williams do not. Keeping Fournier and obtaining Beal (or anyone other than a center or point guard that starts) effectively deletes any future on the team for Langford and/or Nesmith.

Robert Williams is either a top 10 center, or a dead weight. I have to believe there is a way to save him and find that out.

I think going for Beal is a mistake, but it is better to consolidate around youth and picks than it is to trade for him. I'd rather have Beal and Langford and Nesmith than Beal and Fournier.

In order to sign Beal outright, Robert Williams almost certainly would not be on the team and it is quite possible that Langford would also need to be gone.  There just isn't an easy way to make the room for Beal, with both Brown and Tatum on the team, without basically gutting the roster.  So, if you are basically gutting the team to sign him outright, Boston is just much better off trading for him this summer when it can use expiring contracts of Smart and Thompson as the money, a young player or two, and future draft picks.  Not only do you ensure you land Beal, you get him for an extra year of his prime, and you can save way more of the depth of the team to acquire him.  If by some chance he leaves next summer, well then you have basically max room to sign a different free agent if you let Horford go, but I suspect Beal would end up signing a 5 year max, taking him through his prime and hopefully encouraging both Tatum and Brown to stay past their existing contracts.

Beal, Fournier, Brown, Tatum, Horford is a superb starting 5 and there is some quality young players and depth on the bench in Pritchard, Langford or Nesmith, G. Williams, Parker, Brown, Edwards and then possibly Ojeleye and Kornet.  Even if you bring back the latter two, there are still 2 open roster spots to land some veteran minimum type players.  Maybe Love if he gets bought out (as an example). 

You don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

That starting 5 has zero interior defense and would get crushed by most playoff teams.

Brooklyn's healthy starting 5 had even less defence than that one and was smoking everyone until they got hurt

And who exactly are blocking shots and protecting the rim for Phoenix and Milwaukee?  Horford is as good an interior defender as all but maybe a few of the very best centers.  He doesn't block shots, but the one thing Horford can absolutely still do at an elite level defensively is guard interior post big men.  Horford doesn't have the lateral quickness to guard the guys all over the court, but he can absolute defend, and defend well, in the post.

[footey]

Unlikely.  Just better to trade for him now.  Especially since to sign him you basically can't have Smart, Thompson, Fournier, Williams, Williams, Horford, and maybe Langford.

Much better to just acquire him centered on a package of Smart, Thompson, Langford, R. Williams, and future picks.  Then you get to save Horford,, Fournier, and G. Williams to actually build a real team.  You also can then give Beal more years and more money making it far less likely that he would actually leave.

Except that Langford, Nesmith and Robert Williams are the guys that matter for the long term. Horford, Fournier and G Williams do not. Keeping Fournier and obtaining Beal (or anyone other than a center or point guard that starts) effectively deletes any future on the team for Langford and/or Nesmith.

Robert Williams is either a top 10 center, or a dead weight. I have to believe there is a way to save him and find that out.

I think going for Beal is a mistake, but it is better to consolidate around youth and picks than it is to trade for him. I'd rather have Beal and Langford and Nesmith than Beal and Fournier.

In order to sign Beal outright, Robert Williams almost certainly would not be on the team and it is quite possible that Langford would also need to be gone.  There just isn't an easy way to make the room for Beal, with both Brown and Tatum on the team, without basically gutting the roster.  So, if you are basically gutting the team to sign him outright, Boston is just much better off trading for him this summer when it can use expiring contracts of Smart and Thompson as the money, a young player or two, and future draft picks.  Not only do you ensure you land Beal, you get him for an extra year of his prime, and you can save way more of the depth of the team to acquire him.  If by some chance he leaves next summer, well then you have basically max room to sign a different free agent if you let Horford go, but I suspect Beal would end up signing a 5 year max, taking him through his prime and hopefully encouraging both Tatum and Brown to stay past their existing contracts.

Beal, Fournier, Brown, Tatum, Horford is a superb starting 5 and there is some quality young players and depth on the bench in Pritchard, Langford or Nesmith, G. Williams, Parker, Brown, Edwards and then possibly Ojeleye and Kornet.  Even if you bring back the latter two, there are still 2 open roster spots to land some veteran minimum type players.  Maybe Love if he gets bought out (as an example). 

You don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

That starting 5 has zero interior defense and would get crushed by most playoff teams.

Brooklyn's healthy starting 5 had even less defence than that one and was smoking everyone until they got hurt

That is ridiculous, comparing that lineup to the Nets.   But glad you brought them up. The Nets to a man mentioned that they would not go into the paint when Rob Williams was healthy and protecting it.  Is Al Horford going to do that? 35 year old Al Horford?

[RockinRyA]

Yeah, if we could only get that third star, right?

Oh wait, didn't we have Kyrie and Hayward at one time? How'd that workout?

Injuries

[Roy H.]

The Nets to a man mentioned that they would not go into the paint when Rob Williams was healthy and protecting it.

They did? 

[Birdman]

Yeah, if we could only get that third star, right?

Oh wait, didn't we have Kyrie and Hayward at one time? How'd that workout?

If Hayward didn’t break his leg, I truly believe we would had won a championship

[nickagneta]

Is maybe the best solution to have Jayson convince Beal to demand a trade to Boston just after the time signed free agents can be moved? Tatum can come back, tell Brad what is going to happen and Brad can make sure he re-signs Fournier so he can be used to send to Washington when Beal gets traded here.

Maybe Fournier, Thompson, Edwards and picks for Beal.

Fournier next to Westbrook isn't that bad.

C's get to keep Smart.

Smart/Pritchard
Beal/Langford
Brown/Nesmith
Tatum/Grant/Parker
Horford/Timelord/Moses

After the trade, Stevens can go sign a couple vets at the min. There is always a bargain or two of leftover vet min guys available during the season.

Is it a bit nefarious as plans go? Probably. Signing Fournier knowing you are going to trade him as soon as possible might make some agents very angry. But it's no less nefarious than what Lebron, Davis and Clutch Sports pulled off a couple years ago. This is the era we live in....star players  have the ability to create their own teams and narratives. If Tatum wants to play with Beal, but also Marcus and Jaylen, this is the type of thing he and his buddy Bradley could orchestrate to pull it off.

[Celtics2021]

The easiest way to acquire Beal will be next summer through a sign-and-trade.  This summer we should resign Fournier and extend Time Lord.  Then next summer we trade Fournier, Time Lord, a 1st, and maybe one of Pritchard/Langford/Nesmith if a little more salary is needed (depending where Fournier’s and Time Lord’s new contracts end up).

If Beal makes us his first choice in free agency, the Wizards should take a deal like that rather than seeing him walk to a team with cap room.