In one of the strangest twists of recent memory, the intel surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Boston Celtics is that while he wants them, the feeling's not mutual. There's a valid case against chasing Antetokounmpo, but one theory for why Boston doesn't want him could be a refusal to take Myles Turner as part of the package.
Besides the fact that the Greek Freak is aging, his injury rap sheet is growing, and his teams require a rather unique construction to cater to him, if Milwaukee is trading him, it seems like a given like they would make a taker also take Turner for
Now, there's also a fair case that the Celtics should get Turner with or without Giannis because he does have "starting center on a team that went to Game 7 of the NBA Finals" on his resume, and that was only a year ago. Yet, there's fair hesitation to want him after he was a disaster in Milwaukee, with three years left on his deal that progressively gets more expensive.
As good as Giannis is, that price might not be worth it. Turner's not necessarily aging, but after how bad he was with the Bucks, the Celtics may also not want to take the chance on an albatross contract with a player who may only get worse from here.
Miami might be ahead because they are willing to take Turner
As far as Antetokounmpo's suitors go, Miami apparently is in the lead. Indications are that it is because the two-time MVP wants them, but it's plausible that they are willing to take Turner because they are just that desperate while Boston isn't.
It's definitely a bit clunky to put those two next to Bam Adebayo, but Erik Spoelstra's reputation precedes him. Just give him a superstar and let him go to work. Besides, previous iterations of Giannis-led Bucks teams had him run the point. Not the most successful experimentation, but still intriguing.
It also shows that while the Celtics are in a bit of a down period at the moment for obvious reasons, they aren't panicking just yet. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are still among the NBA's best duos who were saddled with their weakest supporting cast since 2021 and still got the No. 2 seed.
Adding Giannis would make sense because, well, he's Giannis. But Boston's not at the point where they could talk themselves into Turner. We won't know for sure if that's the best move, and they may not want to see Miami be relevant again, but Giannis and Turner together limits their options.
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