Giannis Antetokounmpo has risen to the top of many Boston Celtics fans’ offseason wishlists. The team’s earlier than expected postseason exit combined with Brad Stevens’ frustrated demeanor in his end of season press conference have combined to add real legs to any rumors of a potential shake-up this summer.
Trading for Antetokounmpo would be one way to do that.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, it sounds like the Celtics tested the waters a few months ago.
“Sources said postseason teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers pursued Antetokounmpo at the February deadline, and their finishes to the campaign will play a major factor in their aggressiveness to trade for him,” Charania wrote Monday.
Again, we all know how Boston’s finish to the campaign went.
Charania didn’t include whatever the mid-season discussions were made up of. Did the Celtics offer a bunch of depth pieces for Giannis in February? Did they dangle Jaylen Brown?
Both are plausible paths, with the latter feeling like the more realistic now that the summer is here. Brown would do more for the Bucks than any combination of Celtics role players, that’s for sure. They could either keep him, or flip him for even more assets in the same way that the Portland Trail Blazers did with Jrue Holiday in 2024.
The Celtics make sense as a Giannis landing spot
Despite the turmoil between the Greek Freak and the Bucks organization this past season, it still sounds like they’d be willing to work with the star forward to send him to one of his preferred destinations.
“Rival executives believe that Antetokounmpo's desired teams will be the largest factor in his trade destination,” Charania added.
While there haven’t been any direct reports indicating that Giannis would want to play in Boston, the tea leaves sure are starting to make it feel like it could be a possibility, especially now that they’re “open for business,” as Charania put it.
After the Celtics’ last matchup with Milwaukee this season, he gushed over the way Joe Mazzulla had gotten the most out of a group with low expectations heading into the year.
"Everything about my decision is based on winning; culture,” Antetokounmpo said of his future with the Bucks last month. “Like you saw I talked with [Boston] coach Joe Mazzulla. I said, 'you had so many opportunities to make excuses, but you didn't. [The Celtics started the season slow.] And he said, 'Oh, they're good players!’
I said, no. It's about the mentality that you instilled in your place.”
It seems unlikely that Giannis would stick his nose up at the opportunity to play for a coach that he has so much respect for, right?
That’s not all.
There’s also the widespread belief that the 2021 NBA Finals MVP would like to join an Eastern Conference contender, as reported by The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm.
“As these playoffs have shown so far, joining a top-tier team in the East would be the wiser way to reach that goal [of competing for a title]. That sentiment comes up frequently in leaguewide discussions about what Antetokounmpo might want, as it’s widely believed he’d prefer to play for an Eastern Conference team.”
Well, even while Boston was in the midst of blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers, they were still listed as the betting favorites to emerge from the East this spring. Their season didn’t end the way they’d have hoped, but there’s no disputing that they quite aptly fit the description of a contender.
Whichever team trades for Giannis will have to sign the 31-year-old to a contract extension. As of today, he’s slated to become a free agent next summer. Obviously, any team willing to cough up the significant assets required to pry Antetokounmpo away from the Bucks would want to secure his talents long-term.
He officially becomes eligible for a new deal on Oct. 1, or six months after being traded, should he be moved. It’d be smart for the Celtics, or any other team, to get a deal done by early August, that way they’re able to negotiate an extension before next season’s February trade deadline.
As of now, there’s no confirmed timeline for a deal, but the feeling is that Milwaukee would like to get something done before next month’s NBA Draft.
Buckle up.
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