On the eve of the NBA Draft, it finally became clear that the cat was out of the bag and the Celtics were going all-in to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. And it wasn’t enough. Late Monday night, the Bucks traded Antetokounmpo to the Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucioniss, three unprotected first-round picks, one pick swap, and a second-round pick.
BLOCKBUSTER: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks (including No. 13), 1 pick swap and 1 second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NQT5ZhdJU9
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026
Shams Charania of ESPN broke the news, and he also reported that the Celtics were runners-up and offered Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks. While that may not be everything that Boston could have offered, it’s an extremely aggressive offer, and they ultimately came up short in their pursuit of the two-time MVP.
What's next for the Celtics?
So, where does Boston go from here? The toothpaste appears to be out of the tube with Brown. He’s a professional, and he still has three more years on his contract. He’ll also be extension-eligible in October, which would likely help smooth over any hurt feelings.
But this may be a bridge too far. This isn’t just Brown’s name being in rumors, which would be nothing new; this is a tangible offer. Brad Stevens and the Celtics were clearly pot-committed to trading Brown and adding Giannis, and the deal fell through.
If the relationship with Brown is irreparable, this would be a worst-case scenario: losing out on Giannis to the hated Heat, while disenchanting the 2024 Finals MVP in the process. The Celtics may now have to scramble to find a deal for Brown, almost certainly taking back less talented players, and nothing close to a haul like Antetokounmpo.
Stevens and company will probably have to settle for a pupu platter of lesser players and draft picks, perhaps a Trey Murphy III-based deal from New Orleans, a Shaedon Sharpe-Donovan Clingan-type package from Portland, a draft-pick-heavy offer from the Hawks, or something else entirely.
Celtics need to figure out Jaylen Brown plan
They might find a deal that gives the team flexibility and solid value, but it will almost certainly be an immediate downgrade in talent and force the Celtics to take a step back in the heart of Jayson Tatum’s prime. If this is how the Jays era ends in Boston, it will be a brutal, painful, damaging, and completely avoidable ending to an iconic 9-year run that included raising banner 19 in 2024.
With any luck, cooler heads will prevail, Jaylen will realize this is just business, and he should be flattered that his value is high enough to get them into talks for one of the best players in the world. Maybe Brad can do some damage control, and if the communication has been solid all along, perhaps JB realizes the Celtics were simply driving up the price and forcing Miami to gut their roster to bring in the Greek Freak.
Whether he’s in Boston or not, if we know anything about Jaylen, we know that this will motivate him and create yet another chip on his shoulder. I’m sure he’ll be in the lab working on his game all summer, and he will find a way to come back an even better player.
Hopefully, that’s for the Celtics. And hopefully, this becomes a side note to the Brown-Tatum story. A close call, and a narrowly avoided disaster. But as things stand, it’s all up in the air, and the Celtics’ offseason just got a hell of a lot more interesting.
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