As things have settled down after the flurry of blockbuster NBA trades, it seems clear that the Celtics toyed with trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their real motivation was to trade away Jaylen Brown. They made an offer, but balked at throwing in Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and other draft capital, and it sounds like there was no real back-and-forth beyond that.
But apparently, the Celtics were going down the Giannis rabbit hole a little more than that, as it was reported by Anthony Slater of ESPN that the Celtics reached out to the Warriors ahead of the NBA Draft, looking to beef up their Giannis offer by trading Brown to Golden State for four first-round picks and a swap, along with Jimmy Butler.
The Warriors obviously declined, and Slater states that the talks were casual and the sides never reengaged in any negotiations. But still, that shows that the Celtics were at least out hunting for more assets to improve their specific pursuit of the Greek Freak, and that’s noteworthy for a few reasons.
For one, it’s notable because there has been some dispute over how much the Celtics actually wanted Antetokounmpo and whether they were going to be willing to offer him a full supermax extension. Shams Charania shot this notion down, insisting there were no issues with the contract, and this report from Slater seems to confirm that idea.
Giannis pursuit means Celtics could trade for another superstar
Secondly, it’s notable because it means that Brad Stevens and the Celtics are not completely out on the idea of pairing two players on supermax contracts together. It just has to be the right two players. In their eyes, Giannis and Jayson Tatum would have fit the bill, but Tatum and Brown, clearly, did not.
Going forward, this shows that the Celtics are at least willing to go star hunting again, to take on another max or supermax contract under the right circumstances, and to go on another spending spree at the trade deadline or next summer. With all the messaging from the team about optionality and extending their own guys, there was some reason to believe that they may just be out on stacking two contracts that take up 70% of the salary cap, but it can’t be ruled out.
Celtics should only take on max contract under ideal circumstances
Overall, I don’t think this is a black-and-white discussion; I think it’s nuanced and requires plenty of context. If they can acquire a player of Giannis’ caliber without breaking the bank, then they consider that worthy of paying so much to two players and going well over the luxury tax line, a rationale that I tend to agree with.
But if the idea is to just keep swapping Paul George’s expiring contract around for the next available supermax player, I think that would be shortsighted and leave them in the same situation they found themselves in with Brown and Tatum this summer. There’s no perfect path to building a championship team, and there’s no clear blueprint to follow for right or wrong.
Every move happens on its own and deserves consideration in the moment. I’m confident that Brad and the Celtics will weigh their options and make the right moves going forward. Whether that means an all-in push for a star or relying on internal development remains to be seen and likely depends on how guys play and who becomes available. But it’s good to see that every possible option truly appears to be on the table. As it should be.
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