Aggressive Celtics package for Giannis Antetokounmpo should beat out Heat

Milwaukee has options, but one is clearly better if Boston caves a little

Sep 29, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens talks to reporters during media day at the Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes has swung in the favor of the Boston Celtics per the latest reporting, as the Milwaukee Bucks have come around on the idea of adding Jaylen Brown to their team.

BREAKING: The Bostin Celtics are the favorites to land Giannis, per @ChrisBHaynes

"The Boston Celtics are the front runners to land Giannis Antetokounmpo.... I can expect something to be done by end of the day but if not, most definitely by the draft. Right now I'm hearing the… pic.twitter.com/NJlVD9Zctn

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 23, 2026

The merits of Brown are pretty clear: he's the best individual player the Bucks could get for Giannis, he has a Finals MVP and is fresh off a sixth-place MVP finish, he plays the most valuable position in the sport, and he's motivated to prove he can lead a franchise. Given Brown is so great, why isn't Giannis in Boston yet?

Outside of the question of Brown actually wanting to play for the Bucks (which seems to be potentially resolved now), the answer is that Giannis is better and more meaningful to the Bucks than Jaylen Brown and the Bucks will be mostly stuck in place if they made a one-for-one swap.

Getting a true centerpiece that Miami cannot really offer is valuable, but putting all of the Bucks eggs in one basket is a dangerous proposition. Boston's full trade package could surround Brown with quite a few other trade chips, including the 27th overall pick, up to three future firsts, and rookie Hugo Gonzalez.

If Boston offers all of those assets, the Bucks should take that deal over Miami's. That one "if" may end up deciding which of these Eastern Conference powers ends up with the Greek Freak. The Heat appear to have less reservations about sending out pretty much everything for Giannis: Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., the 13th overall pick, and 2-3 future firsts.

Despite Miami having the better draft pick in 2026, getting Brown plus 3-4 picks and a prospect or two is a safer path forward than taking a package that is essentially a package of lottery tickets. Ware, Jakucionis, and that 13th pick all have potential, but the odds are heavily stacked against the Bucks pulling a player out of that group who ever reaches Jaylen Brown's level. Boston can offer an established star plus further (if less valuable) dart throws.

May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks with Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7)after Philadephia’s win in game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Even if the 2026-27 Bucks won't be contenders with Brown, they don't have anything to gain from losing games. Milwaukee doesn't control its draft pick until 2031, so whatever rebuilding the Bucks do may as well be accomplished with Brown around.

Building a core faster could help develop key rookies, and there's no reason Brown couldn't be flipped for more assets in the coming weeks or months anyway. Getting another significant return plus Boston picks could be a way for Milwaukee to end up with a similar but larger package of assets than the Heat can offer themselves.

The big question then is just how badly do the Boston Celtics want Giannis? Is an extra pick or two or Hugo Gonzalez just too much for Brad Stevens to break up what's been the winningest franchise of the 2020s thus far? Or is solving Boston's rim pressure issue with one fell swoop too appealing to resist pushing in the chips?

I’m just gonna say….

I would be absolutely shocked if Hugo was/is thrown into any Giannis trade offer. The entire organization is all-in on him - Stevens prob the most. They could not be higher on him. I genuinely don’t believe he’s involved. Guess we’ll see.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 22, 2026

Seems like we'll find out in the coming hours! Pending a surprising third team or yet another instance of Giannis staying in Milwaukee after all, the future of the Greek Freak will be determined by just how aggressive the Celtics want to be.