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Would Jaylen Brown stay in Milwaukee if acquired for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Brown would have his own team, but there's some question whether he wants this one
Tre Allen|
Feb 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball while Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Feb 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) controls the ball while Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics

With Giannis Antetokounmpo's time in Milwaukee potentially coming to an end in the next few days, the Boston Celtics are ready to offer Jaylen Brown in a deal.

The Celtics are reportedly going all in for the Antetokounmpo according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst and are offering Brown to Milwaukee. This is all a day prior to the 2026 NBA Draft, in which the Bucks are slated to pick 10th overall but could have more selections, maybe No. 13 from Miami or No. 27 from Boston or something else.

"I was really skeptical that the Boston Celtics were going to go all in on this, and from what I understand, they have," Windhorst said. "The Celtics and the Heat are the two teams aggressively going after Giannis, I would say they are the finalists and if Giannis was going to be traded in the next 24 hours which I think is a good chance of happening, I think it's either going to be to Boston or Miami.

"The Boston thing is one. They were very cautious about putting Jaylen Brown in an official firm offer, I believe they have. Jaylen Brown is on the table and Jaylen Brown could get traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo. "

With two teams that have made it clear that they want Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have a choice to make, but is going after Brown the correct one?

Milwaukee seems to remain mostly in control -- it's the Bucks' job the get as much as possble for player of Antetokounmpo's caliber. Whether it's picks, players or both the deal has to be something that both sides are willing to make.

It seems that all three teams have their own dealbreakers. According to Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor, the Bucks want to remain competitive for next season making the Jaylen Brown offer attractive.

However, for Jaylen Brown, there's a chance that he doesn't want to play for Milwaukee according to ESPN's Marc Spears which can affect the deal.

Then on Miami's side, according to the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang, the Heat don't want to gut their roster and future draft capital just for Antetokounmpo. This makes the Celtics deal more appealing for the Bucks if Miami isn't willing to give up as much compared to Brown and some extra pieces.

"While three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo is the only Heat player truly off the table in Antetokounmpo trade discussions, the Heat doesn’t want to gut its team and draft capital in a deal,” Chiang said.

The Bucks are going to have to carefully navigate which offer will best benefit it's team. I understand that as a franchise and an organization, you want to be compettive and do everything in your ability to put your team in the best possible situation to succeed.

On paper, getting Brown looks like a fair deal than getting young pieces that might need to take time to develop as well picks that can't be used now. However, if the Brown doesn't want to stay then it's a waste.

Brown will turn 30 years old in October making it the peak of his prime. If Brown has no interest in staying in Milwaukee even though he won't become a free agent until 2029, then you are essentially back at square one with player who doesn't have want to be on the team again.

There's also the fact that how much will the Bucks improve with Brown on the team.

Antetokounmpo is one of the top-5 players in the NBA and seeing how much he struggled with the current roster, I'm not sure if someone like Brown who's not necessarily on the same level as Antetokounmpo, is capable of bringing the Bucks to a competitive place in the Eastern Conference.

Brown certainly had a great season averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game this year, but Boston's roster is significantly better than which allowed to get the No. 2 seed.

While the Milwaukee will have a new head coach, pick No. 10 and can still make moves to the roster, the Bucks aren't prepared yet to compete competitively.

If Brown's interests in Milwaukee is indeed low, they'll need to significantly prepare a better team if they want persuade Brown into staying.

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Tre Allen
TRE ALLEN

Glen (Tre) Allen is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Louisiana State University, where he graduated with a BA in journalism. Working for the student newspaper, The Reveille, he covered LSU football and men’s and women’s basketball, writing game stories, analysis and profiles.

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