One player that could move the needle in a Giannis trade

Maybe there is a path back to legitimacy soon for the Milwaukee Bucks

Apr 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

With only Game 7 left in the semifinals between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, would it surprise anyone if even more teams were in the hunt for Giannis Antetokounmpo? 

Who could blame them? It's not often that a game-changer like him is available to snag and immediate gratification is a powerful motivator. 

The new teams added to the list could be the Minnesota Timberwolves after their build peaked and was wiped out by the San Antonio Spurs, and also the Orlando Magic plus Boston Celtics since both teams went out in round one.

Antetokounmpo’s wishes will factor greatly into his next destination choice, but what if he starts considering more places to get a star teammate as close to his level as possible. He should be looking around, thinking, “I need to play with someone who takes pressure off teammates the way Cade Cunningham or Tyrese Haliburton do.”

If the Bucks handle the Giannis exchange properly, they’ll come away with assets and the quality player needed, most likely by getting at least two other teams involved but it wouldn’t be surprising if there were seven. Still, it won’t be easy because he has all the leverage.

The Milwaukee execs must consider how open the East is because no team is like the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder out West. Of course, things can change at the drop of a dime, but the Bucks could be serious players in the East within a couple of years if they nail the presumed draft picks coming back.

One of the teams that could make a fair package that might intrigue the Milwaukee Bucks more than others is the Celtics. They can set the floor at Jaylen Brown, who performed like a top-10 player in the regular season and is a former Finals MVP with three years left on his deal. 

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

It would hurt the Bucks’ fans to see Antetokounmpo in another shade of green, especially paired alongside Jayson Tatum, but Brown has pedigree and is a better and more reliable player than some of the big men who could be offered this off-season, like Kel’el Ware (with Tyler Herro), Evan Mobley or perhaps even Rudy Gobert. Each of these big men is a bery good player, most known for their defensive prowess. Yet Ware's offensive impact can be inconsistent, like Mobley's, and Gobert's attack is so weak that teams don't guard him.

Skill... and experience

Being a strong, point-of-attack defender who is able to create his own shot at a high level separates Brown from other packages. Consider that he's won 17 playoff series as a Celtic. Ware, who just finished his second season, has never won a series with the Miami Heat, while Mobley has won two with the Cavaliers, and Gobert has won eight with the Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.

Brown's averaged 24.8 points per game over the last five seasons on a 53.7 effective field goal percentage. On top of that, he’s most effective at the rim, shooting between 70.3 and 76.4 percent since 2020, and has become an above-average finisher in the paint non-restricted area. 

Next season will be the year Brown turns 30. In today’s era, that means he’s probably got four to five excellent years left. As a point of reference, that was the exact time Jimmy Butler's career with the Heat started, which resullted in three deep playoff runs with him as the lead that will likely buy his Hall-of-Fame ticket.

Brown is well on his path to becoming a Hall of Famer when he retires if he keeps up his level. He wouldn't need to leave Boston to get there, but he would always be in Tatum's shadow. It would be unreasonable to expect Brown to be Antetokounmpo, but he can prove he is Tatum's equal in a place like Milwaukee while renewing the legitimacy of the team.