5 Celtics Thoughts After Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade, Including Jaylen Brown's Future

Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to the Miami Heat for a pretty big package of players and picks, leaving the Boston Celtics to pick up the pieces of a failed pursuit and find a way to move forward with their offseason. While Antetokounmpo gets to enjoy 70 degree weather instead of 17 degrees in January, the Celtics need to get moving on how they can make sure the weather is all Giannis enjoys about Miami.

Here are a few lingering thoughts about the deal and where it leaves the Celtics.

► What Milwaukee reportedly wanted from Boston was way too much and Brad Stevens was right to reject it.

The line he drew in the sand was the right line to draw.

Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Milwaukee wanted Jaylen Brown, Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and potentially others, as well as more picks than the two unprotected firsts in the offer.

Essentially, Milwaukee wanted a similar massive return as the Miami offer, but they were treating Brown like he was Tyler Herro. Brown has his faults, but he’s an All-NBA player and future Hall of Famer. He’s still in his prime and has proven he can be the main guy on a team. So the Bucks insisting on more than Brown and two unprotected picks is ridiculous.

It does, however, help explain some of the leaks back-and-forth and trying to poison the well here. The Bucks have almost certainly been exerting pressure through calculated leaks throughout this process. Boston and Miami were used to push each other further in, and the Celtics offer was as rich as they could get without people questioning Stevens’ sanity.

To be honest, two unprotected picks and Brown shows just how all-in they were. Stevens showed great discipline to not cave in this situation.

► The Jaylen Brown situation has now become the biggest thing to watch in the NBA.

Brian Windhorst, on ESPN’s Get Up said Brown will now become the hottest commodity in the league.

“So, now, what I expect to happen is a bidding war for Jaylen Brown,” he said. “In the most recent days, teams have been preparing for this eventuality that it wouldn’t be the Boston Celtics who won the Giannis sweepstakes and there would be a Jaylen Brown market.”

The question is now whether there is a market for Brown or whether Stevens is going to start mending this fence right away. A good first step towards reconciliation would be immediately offering him the two-year, $140-plus million max extension.

Most people seem to feel there's no turning back from something like this, and they might be right. It’s tough to go back to a situation where you know you’ve been offered in a trade.

But this isn’t some Myles Turner situation, who, by the way, continued to play for the Pacers for years as he was actively shopped to a much higher degree than Brown.

Brown has been officially “offered” for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. So on one hand, yes, he’s been offered in deals, but on the other, it’s been only for the highest level of superstar. Maybe Stevens can spin that into something that resonates with Brown and they can continue the relationship, even if it’s just for one more season.

If not, then Stevens can show the Bucks how to put a proper bidding war together for Brown.

► Hugo Gonzalez had better have a really good summer league.

If he struggles, there will be a race to clown Stevens and make the “THIS is why we don’t have Giannis?” jokes.

It’s a bit of an unfair position for him to be in. He’s still 20 years old and he was one of the breaking points in a very public trade pursuit that could re-shape the team. If Brown has to be traded in a lesser package because of this situation, plenty of eyes will turn to Gonzalez to see if the consolation prize was worth it.

I’m still very high on him, regardless of how things went at the end of the season. I still see a lot of the very promising things in him that made the Bucks want him and the Celtics want to keep him. If he shows out in Vegas in a few weeks, maybe it will show some people what people see.

► Keeping Brown is a win for the city of Boston.

Brown has been a pillar of the community and has done a lot of work to make the city better. I think having someone with this kind of social impact is very important.

It’s not Stevens’ job to consider this, but I think it matters. A highly visible professional athlete with the kind of influence Brown has can change young lives, and he actively chooses to pursue opportunities to do so. I hope they can find a way to keep this kind of positive influence in Boston.

► Miami is better, but how much better?

As of right now, their starting lineup will be Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Norm Powell, and Davion Mitchell. There's a lot of defense in that lineup but not a ton of scoring. Bobby Portis, Pelle Larsson, Dru Smith, and Nikola Jovic seem to be the top bench guys.

That team will win a few games. Scoring 95 points might be enough to beat them on most nights, but they seem to have a chance to escape the play-in tournament they’ve called home for so many years.

But then what? Who carries the offense when Antetokounmpo sits? Why wouldn't teams just double Antetokounmpo all night long and live with the results?

They have work to do. We’ll see what they can do beyond this, but I have a hard time saying Miami has changed the balance of power in the East.

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