Before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Hoop Collective podcast spent time pondering who would emerge as the winner of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
Two potential outcomes they weighed were what would happen if the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic were involved in the bidding.
According to Bill Simmons, the Celtics might be in the mix for the two-time NBA MVP. He also cautioned that it's possible their motivation is to drive up the price that the Miami Heat, the perceived favorites, must pay to acquire the 10-time All-Star.
However, if Boston decided this was an opportunity worth splitting up its franchise cornerstones for, then it would prove difficult for any team to top an offer centered around Jaylen Brown.
The most likely outcome in that scenario is that the former Finals MVP would join a different club, like his hometown Atlanta Hawks or the Portland Trail Blazers, who would supply the Milwaukee Bucks with the return necessary to pair Antetokounmpo with Jayson Tatum.
The Trail Blazers would love to land the nine-time All-NBA selection themselves, but given his desire to stay in the East and his ability to opt out of his contract next offseason, that may prove too difficult to pull off. Getting Brown would be quite the consolation prize.
If the Celtics are pursuing Antetokounmpo, Orlando would, seemingly, represent a greater threat than Portland.
The Magic's gift to the Celtics
As the Hoop Collective discussed which of those two teams could make a more compelling offer to the Bucks, the trio of Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Tim Bontemps agreed that the answer is Orlando.
"Jaylen Brown or Paolo Banchero, who would you rather take to build around?" Asked MacMahon. He then answered that question, responding, "I'd go Banchero, simply because he's younger and less expensive."
For those reasons, a promising young talent like Banchero would figure to be more attractive to Milwaukee as it embarks on its next chapter.
So, if the Celtics are, in fact, in on Antetokounmpo, then they better hope that the Magic don't get involved.
Fortunately for Boston, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports, "I also continued to hear that there hasn't been any significant recent dialogue between the Magic and Bucks."
That could change at any moment, or Orlando could be operating under the radar. After all, the organization's senior advisor, John Hammond, and its president of basketball, Jeff Weltman, drafted Antetokounmpo in 2013 while in Milwaukee.
The Magic also put people on alert when they hired Sean Sweeney as their new head coach. Sweeney spent four years working closely with the Bucks' star forward early in the latter's career.
In 2018, Antetokounmpo told James Edwards III of The Athletic, "I love that dude. My relationship with Sweeney -- it's more than basketball. He's one of my best friends."
He also credited him for sharpening the edge that the former Most Improved Player of the Year takes the court with.
"The killer mentality — he definitely helped me with that. It definitely comes from me and my family and the way I grew up, but having Coach Sweeney for those years, he really helped me as a player and as a person off the court."
Orlando has the connections, the burgeoning talent to outbid Boston, and a roster good enough to entice Antetokounmpo to stay long-term. The Florida sun and no state tax are added incentives.
Fortunately for the Celtics, it appears the Magic want Sweeney, now the San Antonio Spurs' associate head coach, to add to his track record of helping elevate young stars -- like the one he worked with in Milwaukee.
If Banchero's off the table, and Boston's in the bidding, there's probably a clear path to pulling off a summer blockbuster for "The Greek Freak."
If the Celtics found out that the Magic were in the mix, they would be wise to do everything they could to ensure that they don't sour their relationship with Jaylen Brown. Doing so in a failed pursuit of Antetokounmpo would be the worst-case scenario.
If Boston's committed to its star tandem of Tatum and Brown, then it has nothing to worry about -- at least not on this front. However, if Simmons has accurately detected that the Celtics are angling to acquire the two-time MVP, then they would be wise to stay on top of whether Orlando is, too.
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