The Boston Celtics came up just short of having Giannis Antetokounmpo don the iconic Beantown green.
The Giannis trade sweepstakes reportedly came down to two teams: the Celtics and the Miami Heat. The Milwaukee Bucks ultimately chose the Heat’s smorgasbord of players and draft compensation over the Celtics’ trade package centered around Jaylen Brown.
Previous reports indicated that the Celtics were pushing for a 1-for-1 swap between Antetokounmpo and Brown, who’s coming off a career year in which he finished sixth in MVP voting. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Celtics eventually caved from that position.
Per Shams, Boston “aggressively pursued” Antetokounmpo with an offer of Brown plus two first-round picks. While Brown was far and away the best player on the table for the Bucks, the Heat deal offered them much more in terms of young assets. Miami’s offer included three first-round picks, a pick swap, and three promising young players still on their rookie contracts. That’s on top of former All-Star Tyler Herro, who is also just 26.
The Celtics and Bucks were likely looking for a third team that would take Brown in exchange for draft capital, but no such deal came to fruition.
Boston’s failed bid for Giannis puts the team in an awkward position with Brown, who must have thought he had finally gotten past the trade rumors involving him once the Celtics won the championship in 2024.
There’s reportedly at least one other team interested in Brown, who may very well be the next high-profile Eastern Conference star on the move.
