After all that, the Celtics struck out on their bid for Giannis, watching as he was traded from the Bucks to the Heat for a package of players and picks. Boston reportedly made an aggressive and competitive offer of Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks. If you ask me, that’s a better deal than what Milwaukee got from Miami, but I’m not in the Bucks’ front office.
According to Shams Charania, the Bucks wanted even more assets from Boston, including young players, namely Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman. Those are two promising youngsters who had very solid seasons for the Celtics, but ironically, they were two of the players that Joe Mazzulla was bizarrely hesitant to trust during the playoffs.
So, Celtics fans have gone from watching in frustration as Mazzulla refused to play Gonzalez and Scheierman, to now watching as Brad Stevens has refused to include them in a trade for the two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It’s all very strange, and it leaves the Celtics and their young players in an awkward spot. In a sense, I agree with Brad, and at a certain point, you have to draw the line. It’s silly to think of the trade as not getting done due to Hugo or Baylor, as if one of those guys specifically was the sticking point, but those two, plus JB, plus multiple first-round picks, would have been an insane haul.
Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman will be under the microscope
Now, unfairly, Scheierman and Gonzalez will have giant targets on their back as some fans will look at them as the reason the Celtics don’t have Giannis on the team. They’ll face undue pressure and be forced to live up to a bar that should never have been set in the first place.
But on the other hand, this could be great news for this young core, as these players are now in the spotlight, and Brad’s refusal to trade them should force Joe’s hand next season. Like it or not, they are going to be huge parts of the rotation going forward. With any luck, they’ll use this as motivation and come back next season looking to prove Stevens right.
It’s still crazy to think they were this close to Giannis and couldn’t get over the finish line. There will surely be some fallout, a potential Plan B, and some damage control with Jaylen Brown. But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that anyone who was clamoring for more Scheierman and Hugo minutes in the playoffs is about to get a much bigger dose of both players going forward.
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