Latest trade rumors indicate Celtics won't be messing around this summer

Losing in the first round, blowing a 3-1 lead, and getting eliminated at the hands of a No. 7 seed should make the Boston Celtics ponder what their next move is. When they lost in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, they made some drastic moves, and look where it got them. Going bold got them a title, which is why doing it again may be necessary.

The Celtics season has been over for two days, and it's already clear that they plan to go big. The latest player to hit the Celtics rumor mill is Giannis Antetokounmpo.

On SiriusXM's "Deals and Dunks," Stein confirmed that the Celtics will be in the Giannis sweepstakes this summer. More than that, he believes Boston will be aggressive to improve the team after their humiliating first-round exit.

This is not the first time Antetokounmpo has been mentioned as a Celtics target in the last month. The one difference is, after getting humiliated by the Sixers, this suddenly went from a nice thought to more of a necessity now.

A divorce not only feels inevitable between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, but is long overdue. He hasn't demanded out, but he's not stupid. The writing's been on the wall since last summer. It works out perfectly because after two consecutive embarrassing playoff defeats, Giannis might just be the move the Celtics make to get them back to title favorites.

But getting Giannis still requires a hefty price

Antetokounmpo's value is lower than it's ever been (smart asset management there, Milwaukee!), but even so, he's an expensive contract. The Bucks will want something back for him. The Celtics could have the edge if they wanted, but it would make many squirm at the thought: trading Jaylen Brown.

Such a prospect would be tough because Brown has stuck with Boston through the trade rumors and the playoff struggles. He was awesome as Boston's No. 1 guy this season. If the Celtics were to trade him, it wouldn't be for an asset-rich package. It would be for an upgrade.

Antetokounmpo is that upgrade. He's a two-time MVP still in his prime. He's had his injury problems over the past few years, but as long as it would only cost Brown, the Celtics wouldn't give up all that much of their core to get him. He raises their ceiling more than Brown does.

Stevens has shown that he doesn't let sentiment dictate his decisions, so if he's serious about Giannis, Brown may be on a new team. It's also likely the Bucks wouldn't want Brown but would rather re-direct him elsewhere.

For what it's worth, Boston's mindset wouldn't be to get rid of Brown. It would be to get Giannis. It would sting about as much as trading Isaiah Thomas did, but unlike how that deal turned out, it would likely be more than worth it in the end.

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