Insider Names Celtics Team To Keep ‘Eye On’ In Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Sweepstakes originally appeared on NESN.
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The Boston Celtics‘ season is over, and after a first-round exit, they could be eyeing a huge move in the offseason.
The biggest storyline of the offseason may be whether the Milwaukee Bucks finally trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. Rumors have been flying for over a year, but publicly, Giannis has said he loves playing in Milwaukee, and that if he is traded, it will be because the team wants to, not because he wants to leave. However, his public comments shed little light on conversations behind closed doors.
During an appearance on Sirius XM’s “Deals and Dunks” on Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein tabbed the Celtics a team to watch in the Giannis trade sweepstakes.
“Because they’ve created this flexibility for themselves when it looked like it was gonna be really hard to do so — I feel like they’re gonna be able to make moves,” Stein said. “There will inevitably be people who bring back the, ‘Do they break up Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown’ — like, that storyline will probably come back.
“There have been some rumblings at various points during the season that the Celtics could be a stealth Giannis team and a team that potentially interests Giannis. So let’s keep our eye on the Celtics. We know Brad Stevens is not afraid to make big moves and take big swings. So I think we have to be ready for just about anything with Boston.”
The biggest question will be wheather the Bucks and Giannis find a way to make things work. The Bucks recently fired Doc Rivers and hired Taylor Jenkins. Giannis wants to win, and the Bucks might not have the roster to do that right now, and may be interested in reloading with younger players and picks.
Trading Giannis would do that. On the Celtics’ side, they would have to pay a premium price to get him. Any trade package for Giannis would likely have to include multiple first-round picks, and likely Jaylen Brown as well. Giannis is a 10-time All-Star, two-time MVP, nine-time All-NBA Selection and Finals MVP. He is one of the best players in the league, and if he wants out of Milwaukee, he will be the most coveted player this offseason.
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