Of course they want the Clipper pick.
They aren't trying to dump Beasley, they are trying to trade him for an asset (JO is not an asset, he's filler to make the salary match).
Clippers 1st + JO for Beasley is a no brainer for the Celtics - its a good deal.
Yeah.
My guess is they know he's going to want more than they'll be willing to offer this summer (i.e. much at all) so they want to get something for him before he leaves.
Beasley isn't a bad player, but the T-Wolves are committed to Derrick Williams, who duplicates Beasley's skill set to a large degree.
If the Celtics know they want to sign Beasley this summer, trading the 1st for him would make sense. Otherwise, the chances are too high that they'll be giving away a 1st round pick for 30 games of Beasley. Which would make sense if it were 2 years ago.