The Celtics and Heat “have engaged in the most advanced trade talks” with the Bucks as the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes moves into its presumed home stretch, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required).
After his latest report was published early Monday morning, a league source told Stein that Boston emerged from the weekend “with a real shot” at landing Antetokounmpo with an offered centered around Jaylen Brown (Twitter link). Stein adds that Milwaukee is considering a deal with the Celtics even if a third team can’t be found to facilitate it.
The other details of Boston’s offer remain murky, but Stein notes that it would likely include young talent and future draft assets. He hears that Milwaukee has interest in Hugo Gonzalez, the team’s first-round pick from last season.
A sticking point could be draft compensation, as the Bucks are known to be seeking another lottery pick for Tuesday night to go with their own selection at No. 10. Boston is slotted at No. 27, so finding another team willing to part with such a pick while taking on Brown’s salary of $183MM over the next three seasons could improve its chances of acquiring the two-time MVP.
If the Bucks opt for the Celtics’ offer, it will be a result of ownership’s desire to get a proven star rather than draft picks in exchange for Antetokounmpo, Stein tweets.
The Heat remain in the mix with an offer of Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and draft assets, and Stein states that Miami is willing to include more draft capital or players to get a deal done. He reiterates the possibility that Herro could then be moved to Detroit or another team for more draft picks.
Appearing Monday morning on “Get Up,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst identified Boston and Miami as the “finalists” to land Antetokounmpo, saying that the Celtics have gone “all in” (Twitter video link). He confirms that Brown is part of their latest offer.
As of Friday, Stein hears that the Timberwolves are no longer in active pursuit of Antetokounmpo. Minnesota, which was making aggressive offers ahead of the trade deadline, “circled back to the Bucks this week to see what it would take to make another run at pairing Antetokounmpo with Anthony Edwards,” a source tells Stein, only to learn that Milwaukee now wants “even more now than the teams discussed in the winter.”
Rumors of the Trail Blazers‘ involvement in the Antetokounmpo pursuit have “quieted down considerably,” Stein adds. There was talk around the league earlier this spring that Portland, which holds several future Bucks draft picks, might be willing to take on Antetokounmpo even without assurances that he’ll sign an extension, but the team’s interest appears to have cooled.
Draft day has been viewed as the absolute deadline for an Antetokounmpo deal, especially since co-owner Jimmy Haslam called it the “natural time” for a resolution last month. Stein states that no rival teams he has spoken with expect Milwaukee to shut down trade talks again. He notes that Bucks officials asked teams to submit their best offers in February, and they would risk losing credibility by calling things off again.
In addition, there’s a chance that Antetokounmpo’s trade value would decline if the process is extended any further. Stein notes that Milwaukee was hoping offers would improve between the trade deadline and now, but that hasn’t really happened.
Antetokounmpo will become eligible for a four-year extension worth an estimated $275MM on October 1 (or six months after a trade). He holds a $62.8MM player option for the 2027/28 season and could potentially leave Milwaukee with no compensation if he turns down that extension.
Stein adds that other potential deals around the league are on hold as teams wait to see what happens with Antetokounmpo. If the Bucks wind up landing the No. 13 selection from Miami, there’s a chance they could package their two picks to move up the draft board.
