Brad Stevens has had to make some tough choices since becoming the Boston Celtics' President of Basketball Operations. In 2023, he traded fan favorite Marcus Smart, and two years later, he had to dump Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis while losing Al Horford. Now, he has the opportunity to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, which reportedly isn't such a straightforward choice.
That's primarily because any Antetokounmpo trade would require Jaylen Brown. Antetokounmpo is better than Brown, but the injuries are starting to pile up for the two-time MVP. Plus, while the Greek Freak is one of the NBA's best players, Boston would have to later their roster a bit to make him fit more than they would have to with Brown.
More than anything, though, there is a well-documented, two-way street of love and admiration between Brown and the city of Boston. If you're trading that way, it's for an inarguable upgrade that vaults you back up to title contenders. Antetokounmpo could be that, and could be is not the same thing as is.
It's a dilemma that Stevens has never truly faced as a GM. The last time the Celtics were faced with a problem like this was back when they traded the still-revered Isaiah Thomas for the still-reviled Kyrie Irving.
When Boston made that deal, the thinking was pretty clear, but that didn't make it any less painful because of how loved IT was and still is as a Celtic. Irving's Boston legacy went in the opposite direction, but any team would have made the same deal at the time, but that didn't make it any easier.
Brown has a stronger Celtics legacy than Thomas does, so like IT, it would be hurt if Boston traded him no matter who was coming back. Antetokounmpo is as good of a target as it gets, but it's not like there wouldn't be some concerns.
In Brad, we trust
The other reason why it's not entirely clear if trading for Antetokounmpo is the best idea is that Boston has won with the Jays. Stevens knows that it simply requires getting game-changers around them. They have the chance to do that this summer, which doesn't necessarily require acquiring Antetokounmpo.
The worst possible decision Stevens could make it not doing a thing this summer after what just happened to Boston less than a month ago. He has to do something. There's a rationale for trading Brown for Antetokounmpo just as there's a rationale that Boston's best course is building around the Jays.
Stevens has shown that he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He doesn't care about sentiment when it comes to making moves. Swapping Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving was a tough but more than understandabld decision. Swapping Brown for Antetokounmpo doesn't fall under the same umbrella, but whatever Brad chooses, Boston should approve until it fails.
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