On his Thursday night podcast with Rob Mahoney, Bill Simmons mentioned that he believed that Giannis Antetokounmpo is interested in going to the Celtics, but that Boston may reciprocate those feelings. Take things with a grain of salt coming from Simmons. He’s a veteran and plenty locked into the league, but he’s a Celtics fan and not a conventional news breaker.
So, it was extremely noteworthy on Monday when Marc Stein confirmed Simmons’ suggestions in his Substack. The veteran NBA insider stated that he has heard something similar to what Simmons referenced “from a few different teams” in recent days and expressed:
“Miami and Boston are increasingly perceived to be the potential trade destinations that currently - underline currently - most intrigue Milwaukee’s Antetokounmpo.”
It’s one thing to be rumored to be in pursuit of a superstar, a two-time MVP, and a top 25 player of all time. It’s quite another for there to be credible reporting that the superstar has actually identified your team as a preferred destination, as appears to be the case with the Celtics.
Celtics facing difficult Giannis crossroads
And this only further complicates things, as Stein also reiterated Bill’s sentiment that he’s not sure how interested the Celtics actually are. On the one hand, it’s not every day that a top-five player in the league basically requests a trade specifically to the Celtics. But on the other hand, that doesn’t mean it’s the right move for the organization.
Knowing that he wants to come to Boston is definitely a big part of the battle. That would imply that he’s fully invested in playing for the Celtics and Joe Mazzulla alongside Jayson Tatum. He should be all in on raising more banners in Boston and should be ready and willing to sign an extension to play in green for the rest of his prime. That’s a big deal when making a deal of this magnitude.
But it really shouldn’t change the calculus too much for the Celtics. They still have to weigh if it’s worth it to sacrifice their own home-grown superstar in Jaylen Brown for an older player with some recent calf and hamstring issues. And they definitely shouldn’t be coaxed into a decision just because the player wants it to happen or because they risk losing him to the rival Heat.
Giannis could tip the scales
The only way this really becomes a big factor in weighing the decision is if Giannis decides to put his thumb on the scale. He could publicly come out and say that he wants to play in Boston and won’t sign an extension with other teams. That would crush Milwaukee’s leverage and allow the Celtics to acquire Giannis for a bit of a discount.
Now, they still would have to make the money work, but maybe they could swing Brown to a third team like the Hawks and pull in another key player like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Or maybe Giannis can get himself moved for a package that doesn’t even include Brown.
If the Celtics could add Giannis for Derrick White and a Nikola Vucevic sign-and-trade, or buy finding some salary with TPEs to throw into the deal, suddenly this could become a lot more appealing.
Ultimately, Giannis’ Boston interest may be meaningless, and it shouldn’t drastically impact the way Brad Stevens and company are approaching the situation. Still, it’s a good advantage to have, and if the team can weaponize this info and find a way to bring the Greek Freak to Boston without breaking the bank, that could be a franchise-changing move.
Add us as a preferred source on Google