Can the Boston Celtics make a run for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 if he declines Milwaukee’s super-max?

Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will soon be offered a super-max deal from the Milwaukee Bucks. If he decides to decline, could the Boston Celtics find their way into the “Greek Freak” sweepstakes?

As any Boston Celtics fan will tell you, Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently one of the primary rivals of the league’s winningest franchise. Still, with this, no one can honestly say they wouldn’t love to have the 6-11 wunderkind repping their organization’s threads.

A 3x All-Star, 3x All-NBA selection and the league’s most recent MVP, Antetokounmpo is on a short list of those who can be conceivably considered the best player in the game today. Because of this, the position-less specimen is all but guaranteed to imminently receive a super-max offer from the Milwaukee Bucks. However, though the offer is guaranteed to come, it is by no means a guarantee Antetokounmpo will sign the dotted line.

If the 24-year-old superstar decides to decline said deal, he would be slated to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career in the summer of 2021. In a world where that does occur, are the Boston Celtics able to put themselves in a position to join in on the bidding war?

It depends.

Next summer, there will be several free agent calls that could help shape the future of the franchise. That includes major decisions on potential unrestricted free agent Gordon Hayward (if he declines his player option) and restricted free agent Jaylen Brown.

Essentially, every Boston Celtics fan needs to accept that in order to acquire Antetokounmpo, sacrifices must be made. Hayward would almost certainly be the guy to go if he can’t accept a large pay-cut.

To his credit, he likely won’t have to. Some hapless franchise like the Sacramento Kings or the New York Knicks may throw him a huge offer to bolster fan excitement in the hopes that he can regain his 2017-pre-injury form.

The money gets very tricky in the summer of 2021, even with the league announcing the salary cap would raise to $125 million for the 2021-22 season. Boston will have Kemba Walker‘s max contract on the books as well as potential extensions for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. If Danny Ainge wanted to keep the both of them, while potentially adding Antetokounmpo, he would have to rid his roster of almost everyone besides the duo and Walker.

Shedding Walker’s $36 million cap figure could do the trick. Obviously the optics wouldn’t be great given what the team has done trading fan-favorite point guards (hello Isaiah Thomas) but it wouldn’t be unprecedented to see Ainge trade a 32-year old Walker to sign a 26-year-old former MVP.

Antetokounmpo’s positional versatility makes it easier to let go of any currently rostered player. In general, no one on any roster should be untouchable when it comes to acquiring the seven-year vet. He’s that good!

Now, you may be asking yourselves: “why would Giannis not re-up with the Bucks after seeing such success?” Well, at the end of the day, the greats all want one thing — championship glory.

Last season, though Antetokounmpo lead Milwaukee to the best record in the league/ team history, ultimately they were ousted in six in the Easter Conference Finals at the hands of the seemingly inferior roster of the Toronto Raptors. Yes Kawhi Leonard is a bona fide stud, however, outside of him last year’s Raptors were clearly don’t inspire much fear in opponents.

Milwaukee still lost, and most of the core they lost with received pricey extensions. Those deals, which doesn’t include one of Giannis’ most valuable running mates in Malcom Brogdon (who signed with Indiana for a whopping $85 million over four years) will preclude the Bucks from adding any additional premier talents.

Khris Middleton will have to become Scottie Pippen if Milwaukee has any plans for a dynasty. The odds are higher of Brown or Tatum becoming a transcendent talent.

If the Boston Celtics could make it work, salary cap wise, and Antetokounmpo has his sights set on leaving Wisconsin, a perfect union could be formed in 2021 between the most successful franchise in NBA history and one the of the league’s premier stars.