Jayson Tatum has blossomed into a perennial MVP candidate for the Boston Celtics, and everyone in Beantown wants him to be a Celtic for life and follow in the legacy of Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek.
There is no chance the Celtics would trade a player like that; that just doesn't happen. Except with Luka Doncic. Or Rafael Devers just down the road. Or in every major sports league around the world. Never before has the idea of trading a franchise icon been more palatable for front offices, even if it's still painful for fans.
What if trading Tatum would make the Celtics title favorites immediately, poised to win a championship or two over the next couple of years? Would the franchise consider such a move? It's a question that is at least worth asking, and the stars are aligning for an unexpected blockbuster deal that could change the course of two franchises -- and ultimately, the entire NBA.
The Boston Celtics are currently at a crossroads. With Tatum sidelined for a year after tearing his Achilles, the franchise is expected to make cost-cutting moves. There is otherwise no way to justify paying $500 million for a team that cannot contend and is restricted by the second tax apron from making any legitimate moves to upgrade the roster.
The problem with that approach is that the Celtics have already built a championship team, and expecting to sell off key players, wave a magic wand and just rebuild another title team in a year is a bit of a pipe dream. Ideally, the Celtics would be able to maximize their current roster and make a run at a title.
The problem, of course, is that they can't exactly do that with Tatum sidelined -- they need their best player to have a shot to win it all, especially with a juggernaut coming together in Oklahoma City. The possibility of trading Tatum is offensive to begin with, but what team is sending back enough for an injured Tatum for the Celtics to believe they can contend next season? Most trade packages would presumably be made up of inferior players, prospects not yet ready to win now, or both.
That appears to be an insurmountable hornet's nest of problems until a solution suddenly appears from the Midwest, the light of its perfection reflecting off of the waters of the Great Lakes: the Boston Celtics can trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Jayson Tatum for Giannis Antetokounmpo is a win-win trade
The Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in a similar, but different, situation from the Celtics. They likewise have a star player sidelined by an Achilles tear for next season after Damian Lillard went down in the playoffs, and while the rest of the roster is not exactly in position to compete for a championship, they have a Top-5 player in his prime in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The franchise is trying to sell their star on the possibility of taking a "gap year" to allow Lillard to heal and the Bucks to reset some of their books, then try to build back a contender the following season. If Antetokounmpo truly wants to win a title during his prime he must reject that empty promise, but it's not clear if he has the resolve to do that and force a trade.
The Bucks, however, are looking for their own way out. They don't want to give up on a Top-5 player, but they have ground their assets into dust trying to maintain a contender around Antetokounmpo. This franchise needs a couple of seasons to restore their coffers and be prepared to build another title team -- but surely they wouldn't trade their franchise superstar.
Unless, of course, they could get another Top 5 player in return. Tatum would be an excellent fit next to Lillard, is younger than Giannis and has proven himself a modern superstar capable of leading a team to a title. The Bucks could trade Antetokounmpo, get younger, and take a full "gap year" next season with both of their stars sidelined before making a leap back up the standings with Tatum and Lillard healthy in 2026-27.
The Celtics suddenly get to swap in a physical force unmatched around the league, a perennial Top-3 finisher in the MVP race and a two-time winner himself. Antetokounmpo is best deployed on a team with a stretch-5 who can defend the rim (check) and he is comfortable as an on-ball playmaker, which is how the Celtics are set up currently to allow Jrue Holiday and Derrick White to thrive off-ball.
The Celtics would instantly be title favorites next season, even with the Thunder dynasty blooming out West. The player the Thunder have had the most difficult stopping over the last couple of seasons is Antetokounmpo; he destroyed them in the NBA Cup and is too fast for Isaiah Hartenstein and too strong for Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams. The Celtics would not only be the clear favorites in a diminished Eastern Conference, they would have Kryptonite for the NBA Finals.
This is a ludicrous idea on the surface, but peel back the layers and it checks every box. The Boston Celtics are built to win now and have a hole for a playmaking power forward MVP candidate; it just so happens that the Bucks could be open to trading one of those. The pain of saying goodbye to Jayson Tatum is real and may stop this trade in its tracks.
Look at the bigger picture, however, and trading Jayson Tatum for Giannis Antetokounmpo makes too much sense not to consider it. And it could bring the latest championship to Boston.