The Celtics have emerged as a potential trade contender for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their chances rely entirely on Jaylen Brown. Brown must headline any realistic Boston trade package for the Greek Freak, but the Celtics are reportedly trying to land Antetokounmpo without sending out Brown. If Brown (or Jayson Tatum) isn’t involved, the Bucks should not even entertain whatever else the Celtics cobble together.
The Celtics have no shot without Brown
The only reasonable trade scenario where the Bucks send Giannis to the Celtics should involve Brown coming back and ideally being routed to a third team for additional assets. The only other player on Boston’s roster with enough value to headline a Giannis trade package is Tatum, but he’s likely off the table in trade talks.
Brown’s trade value might be at its highest right now after an All-NBA season with some MVP buzz at times. He averaged career-highs across the board and guided the Celtics to surprising success. After years of playing second fiddle to Tatum, Brown proved his capabilities as the primary option and might have piqued some teams’ interest in the process.
Aside from Brown, the Celtics don’t have many other marquee assets. All their draft picks have depleted value because of Boston’s consistent excellence. And none of the young players on their roster have flashed superstar potential. Even if the Bucks are intent on trading Giannis this summer, they can’t do it for such a weak package.
The Bucks will be in trouble with a bad trade
Sending out Giannis without receiving blue-chip assets in return would put the Bucks in a very bad spot. They would likely be set back for years without a promising path to a rebuild. The draft would be their best bet for adding talent, but the Bucks don’t have control of most of their own picks going forward.
Currently, Milwaukee lacks both the young talent and draft capital to kick off a strong rebuild. It’s absolutely imperative that they acquire assets to help significantly in one or both of those areas when they trade Giannis. Failing to do so might end up being worse than keeping Giannis and desperately trying to build a contender around him with limited resources.
With all that considered, the Bucks must now send an emphatic message to the Celtics. There should be no shot at any Giannis trade if neither Jaylen Brown nor Jayson Tatum are included. The Bucks cannot afford to accept anything less, no matter what Giannis or anyone else wants.
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