NBA Insider Marc Stein confirmed Bill Simmons’ theory/reporting that Giannis Antetokounmpo is intrigued by the idea of playing for the Boston Celtics as part of his Monday newsletter.
“Miami [Heat] and Boston are increasingly perceived to be the potential trade destinations that currently - underline currently - most intrigue Milwaukee’s Antetokounmpo,” Stein wrote.
Now, in today’s league, it’s a bit rich to pretend like players’ preferred destinations matter much when trade requests happen. Most times, whichever disgruntled star wants out still has plenty of time left on his current extension.
Players don’t sign contracts with teams anymore, they just sign NBA contracts and request trades when they decide they’re done playing in whichever city -- not when it’s time to re-up for another deal.
Antetokounmpo’s (non) request is a bit different. The Bucks have wanted to keep him in town over the past few seasons with the same desire that Giannis has to avoid becoming the bad guy by actually asking out.
The collective beating around the bush has led to a situation where it feels like the relationship has run its course. Said feeling comes with just a single season (plus a player option) remaining on Antetokounmpo’s current contract, without an extension even on the table, according to the Bucks star.
The Celtics have a major advantage in the Giannis sweepstakes
This means that where he wants to be traded actually matters here. No team is going to mortgage their future for Giannis if they’re not confident that he’ll be on the roster in a year. Boston (and Miami) has a leg up on all other potential landing spots because of this.
They can confidently part with assets if they truly feel like Antetokounmpo is the fix to their respective issues.
The market will also be less competitive, hypothetically. If it’s just Boston and Miami bidding against one another, then the Celtics would only have to have a better offer than the Heat, not the Heat and three other teams.
Common sense would tell you that in order to bring Giannis to North Station, the Celtics would have to include Jaylen Brown in any potential deal. Their money works perfectly, one for one, and Brown is far better than any player the Heat would offer, and most other teams for that matter.
A third team with draft capital could prove imperative to any Celtics Bucks blockbuster, as well. According to Stein, there are at least three that’d be interested in facilitating a swap.
“There is a belief in some corners of the league that [the] Atlanta [Hawks], Houston [Rockets] and Portland [Trail Blazers] all have legitimate trade interest in Brown. Which is something to file away if you're looking for participants that might be interested in joining an eventual multi-team Antetokounmpo trade construction.”
Portland acquired the rights to swap first-round picks with the Bucks in 2028 and 2029 when they sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee in 2023. The Bucks likely have interest in reacquiring their own picks and controlling their own draft future.
The Blazers’ involvement could do plenty of heavy lifting on that front.
For now, all we can do is wait. There’s been no indication that Boston and Milwaukee have had any serious talk of a trade. But, if Stein’s intel is on point, the Cs can feel good about keeping Giannis around in any hypothetical deal.
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