Celtics Broadcaster Has Surprising Reaction To Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors originally appeared on NESN.
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Over the last week, much of the discourse surrounding the Boston Celtics has been trade rumors and speculation involving Jaylen Brown, largely for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
A two-time NBA MVP and former champion, Antetokounmpo is a better player than Brown when he’s healthy and probably one of the five best players in basketball. His durability has started to become a concern as he’s aged into his 30s, however, which is one reason Celtics broadcaster Brian Scalabrine thinks Boston should stay away from him.
“You gotta think about Giannis’s injury history right now… When you look at that, it’s not really the way the Celtics like to do things,” Scalabrine explained on Monday’s episode of Yahoo Sports Daily. “They love guys that can shoot the three. They love guys that are available… So I don’t know if they’ll go down that road… I don’t think the Boston Celtics would do something like that.”
“One of the best abilities is availability, so I don’t know if they’ll go down that road.” 😬
Brian Scalabrine said Giannis’ injury woes should be enough to make the Celtics pass on considering trading Jaylen Brown for him.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/PCb2S1kQB0
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 11, 2026
At 31 and coming off the fewest games played of his career, Giannis may already be on the decline. Meanwhile, Brown is 29 and coming off the best year of his career.
Accordingly, Scalabrine thinks Boston may be inclined to keep Brown, who’s a better fit for their roster and style of play than Giannis.
“I think they’re really happy with the way that Jaylen Brown played this year,” Scalabrine continued. “I think it’s a matter of figuring out how to make that work. That seems like a little bit of a drastic decision for the Celtics to go all-in on the Giannis sweepstakes, and throwing Jaylen Brown and a bunch of picks in there.”
It would seem out of character for Brad Stevens to throw so many assets at an ageing superstar like Giannis, so Scalabrine may be right about this one.
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