One of the things that seems to be holding up a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is that the Bucks don’t appear to be satisfied with any of the offers they’re receiving. The Heat package is the cleanest, but it doesn’t really give them any premium, blue-chip assets to help kickstart their rebuild.
The Celtics are offering the most value, but it’s mostly in the form of a win-now player (or players) that also may not be that appealing to Milwaukee. So, it seems that there’s likely an impasse because the Bucks want to see what Boston can get from a third team in exchange for Jaylen Brown, which would then be rerouted to the Bucks, with Giannis ending up on the Celtics.
Bucks may be willing to keep Jaylen Brown
Looping in more teams obviously makes this more challenging, and that’s why many pundits believe he’ll end up in Miami after all of this. But according to the latest Mike Scotto report, this may not be so cut and dry. On Saturday night, Scotto explained that while many around the league assume JB would go to a third team, that may not be the case.
“If the Celtics indeed acquire Antetokounmpo and Brown ends up going to the Bucks as part of the trade, the Bucks would consider keeping Brown.”
If that’s the case, that changes the math quite a bit. Boston wouldn’t need to find a third team, and the Bucks and Celtics could simply be haggling over further compensation, whether it be draft picks, young players, or Boston taking back another contract.
And it makes sense. Sure, on the surface, the Bucks may have little use for a 29-year-old superstar in his prime, but Jaylen is under contract for three more years. We already know of several interested teams, and that list should only keep growing as teams get more desperate and strike out on other players.
Bucks could start brand new bidding war for Brown
With Jaylen locked up long-term, the bidding would be open to almost any team in the league, and the Bucks could end up getting a better haul back than what they’re being offered for Giannis. Plus, with the new lottery reform and considering they don’t have access to their own picks, the Bucks may not want to completely bottom out, and Brown would help establish a competitive baseline and be a big enough star to keep the fanbase engaged after trading away Giannis.
On the other hand, this could certainly be a leverage play by the Bucks. They clearly are less than thrilled by the Miami offer, so they may be posturing as if they’re willing to keep Brown in an effort to scare the Heat and get them to find a better package. It has already been reported that Brown doesn't want to play in Milwaukee, so this rumor is at least out there, and with three years on his contract, he may not have much say.
Regardless of where the truth lies (probably somewhere in the middle), it’s a sign that the Bucks are in talks with the Celtics and that they aren’t satisfied with what Miami is offering (duh), which is all great news for Boston and anyone who wants to see the Greek Freak playing alongside Jayson Tatum next year.
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