For weeks, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have been painted as the frontrunners in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes. By all accounts, there is mutual interest between Giannis and Miami, while it’s more onesided with Boston.
It’s become abundantly clear that Antetokounmpo would welcome the chance at chasing a championship with the Celtics, but Boston’s front office doesn’t quite seem sold on the idea of swinging for the fences this summer.
One thing is clear. If they do sell themselves on a blockbuster trade, they’re going to have the best package to get a deal done. Everyone knows that -- even the Heat, it seems. NBA insider Jake Fischer shared intel on Thursday, indicating that the Celtics’ hypothetical trade package has Pat Riley and the Miami front office “genuinely concerned.”
“This much is clear: Boston is believed to be a potential suitor that genuinely concerns Miami,” Fischer wrote.
He previously shared that the Celtics still have yet to show interest, but many teams around the association still feel they’ll be in the mix when it gets down to the nitty gritty, thanks to, well, what they can offer.
“Rival teams, furthermore, continue to point to Boston's various assets as illustrating its ability to become a factor here,” Fischer said. “They also note that Antetokounmpo shares a skills coach with Jayson Tatum (Drew Hanlen) and is believed to have a level of interest in landing with the Celtics on top of his well-chronicled affinity for Miami.”
If the Celtics go all-in for Giannis, then the Heat can't compete with their offer
The holdup also has become very clear: Boston isn’t eager to trade Jaylen Brown, whose contract would be essential in making the financial aspects of a swap work. We’ve heard tidbits of the front office’s reluctance to part ways with the 2024 Finals MVP all week from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, The Athletic’s Sam Amick, and now Fischer.
“Those same sources likewise insist that the Celtics have yet to engage in any meaningful trade conversation this spring involving Jaylen Brown after Brown's tremendous 2025-26 campaign … but it also hasn't been categorically dismissed as a possibility.”
If the Celtics ultimately decide that including Brown in a trade for Giannis is worth it, there’s simply no way that Miami can compete with that offer -- especially with what they’re reportedly offering now.
“It is widely presumed that the offer firmly on the table for Milwaukee calls for Miami to package Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jacquez Jr. with prime draft capital to the Bucks to acquire Antetokounmpo,” wrote Fischer.
None of Herro, Ware, or Jacquez Jr. is the same caliber of player as Brown is, nor do they project to rise to his level anytime soon. Not to mention that Herro, the financial centerpiece of the deal, has missed a combined 94 games over the past three seasons.
Jacquez had a nice bounceback season after a disappointing sophomore campaign, but at 25 years old might be approaching his NBA ceiling. Meanwhile Ware's questionable work ethic somewhat diminishes the value of his physical gifts.
JB is durable. He’s coming off of the best season of his career which netted him a Second Team All-NBA selection. He’d also be the type of player that the Bucks could flip in a subsequent trade to reacquire some of their own picks from the Portland Trail Blazers -- a franchise rumored to have interest in facilitating a blockbuster as a third team. Portland also had reported interest in Brown earlier this summer.
Miami fans will tell you differently, but it’s clear that the Celtics can make the best offer for Giannis, should they pursue him. The Heat being fearful of Boston getting involved confirms it.
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