The Boston Celtics are going to need some scoring punch this upcoming season. With Jayson Tatum ruled out for most (if not all) of the 2025-26 campaign while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon — and Boston also forced to shed payroll by dealing away both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — Boston’s once-versatile offense has been severely hampered. Even if lineup regulars like Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, and new pickup Anfernee Simons have the means to put up points, the Celtics could use another scoring threat to make up for the expected absence of Tatum on the court. Given both that scoring deficiency and Boston’s cap-crunched situation, could Tatum’s longtime friend Bradley Beal end up being a viable option for the Celtics? At face value, Boston acquiring Beal — who is currently under contract with the Suns on a five-year, $251 million contract he initially signed with the Wizards — is seemingly impossible, given the financial implications at play. But, Beal may not cost that much moving forward. According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, Beal is “actively exploring his options with other teams” in anticipation of the Suns buying out the remainder of his contract. Stein added that “there will be considerable interest in Beal once he becomes an unrestricted free agent.” Beal would reportedly need to give back roughly $13.9 million of the remaining $110.9 million left on his contract as part of a buyout — meaning that Phoenix would still be paying him $97 million over the next two seasons just to minimize the cap hit on a year-to-year basis. Much like Damian Lillard — who was bought out by the Bucks last week — that would mean that Beal might opt to sign a cheaper contract elsewhere with a contending team, given that he’s still commanding a sizable salary from another NBA franchise. As such, the Celtics could conceivably accommodate a scoring threat like Beal on a cheaper payout moving forward, with the 32-year-old given the opportunity to keep Boston afloat during this bridge year before helping a reloaded Celtics roster contend for a title alongside Tatum in 2026-27. Tatum and Beal’s friendship stretches back years, as both hail from St. Louis and attended Chaminade High School. “Playing with my big brother, two guys from the same neighborhood, same high school, going to the Olympics from St. Louis, that’s like a dream,” Tatum told reporters in 2021 about playing alongside Beal with Team USA. Unlike Lillard — who is likely out for the entire 2025-26 season after also rupturing his Achilles tendon — Beal is healthy and could step into a featured role alongside the likes of Brown and White right away. Beal appeared in 53 games with the Suns this past season, averaging 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Even if those stats are a sharp drop-off from his prime years with the Wizards (including two years where he averaged more than 30 points per game), Beal could thrive as more of a complementary scorer for Boston. Beal would also mesh well in Joe Mazzulla’s offense, given that he has converted on 37.6 percent of his 3-point shots over his 13-year career — sporting a 40.7 shooting percentage from 3-point range over the last two years with Phoenix. Signing with Boston would still likely require Beal to make more of a concession than Lillard when it comes to his overall payout. At 32 years old, Beal could still conceivably land a pretty hefty offer from multiple teams if he hits free agency in the coming weeks, with Boston likely only able to offer him mid-level money amid their cap-related headaches.