As the NBA world awaits a Giannis Antetokounmpo resolution, the Boston Celtics are sitting at the beginning of a critical offseason. As much success as they found while winning 56 regular-season games, president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, left no doubt afterward that his team, which bowed out of the playoffs in the first round, needs significant improvement. He will face franchise-altering decisions this summer as he aims to push the Celtics back into position to win a title.
With the draft one week away, Stevens and his front office have a lot to sift through as they determine the right path forward.
The next big NBA domino to fall could be Antetokounmpo’s situation. Though acquiring the Bucks superstar without giving up Jaylen Brown would be possible in theory, the Celtics, considered one of the threats to land Antetokounmpo, would, in all likelihood, need to move Brown in such a trade. What could determine whether they land Antetokounmpo is how much else they would be willing to part with.
The Celtics would need to include draft capital in an Antetokounmpo deal. But which first-round picks would they put on the table? If they were to land Antetokounmpo, the more valuable Boston first-rounders would be the ones further into the future because Boston would be built with the short-term in mind. So, it’s not just a question of how many picks the Celtics would be willing to surrender, but which ones?
The 3 teams that should trade for Giannis
Esfandiar Baraheni
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The Boston front office could have some reservations about attaching more players, such as promising 20-year-old Hugo González, to sweeten the deal. As tempting as it would be to acquire a two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo, the reality is that trading for 30-something superstars has proven to come with significant risk.
Unlike some other teams linked to Antetokounmpo, the Celtics wouldn’t need to gut much of their roster depth to pursue him, though Brown wouldn’t be a small loss. It could also empower them to know that Antetokounmpo seems to be intrigued by their situation. The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm have reported that the 10-time All-Star would be willing to sign a four-year, $275 million extension with Boston. Antetokounmpo raised some eyebrows in April when he shared the details of a conversation he had with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, praising the coach’s mentality.
Given Brown’s importance in Boston, Stevens will need to strike a delicate balance during any negotiations with Milwaukee. Brown has been through trade rumors before. He and the Celtics have always moved past them. Still, it could leave a scar if Brown hears about serious negotiations after they fall apart.
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You can bet Stevens will take that relationship into account as he approaches the situation. He has earned a reputation for treating players (and everyone else, really) extremely well. Jrue Holiday expressed appreciation for the way Stevens approached trading him to the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason. Stevens gave Holiday a warning that something could happen in advance. When a trade materialized, Holiday wasn’t caught off guard. Stevens also gave heads-ups to the players the Celtics traded prior to the February trade deadline.
“By the time all those were done, their agents were all aware that was a real possibility,” Stevens said. “And sometimes, that’s an individual conversation depending on who it is. And sometimes, it’s an agent conversation. But the bottom line is you can’t always do this in this world, so I don’t want to say it’s a thing that you always should expect or can do, but if we know that there’s likely to be a move we try to at least communicate it in advance, or at least there’s an attempt to be a move, right? Those are hard phone calls.”
Stevens gives that much consideration to the feelings of end-of-bench players. Regardless of what the Celtics do this offseason, he can be expected to be extremely mindful of Brown’s thoughts. That adds a layer of complexity to any conversations with Milwaukee.
Even after blowing a 3-1 first-round lead, the Celtics don’t necessarily need to do anything drastic. Their core has experienced success together throughout the years. Brown and Jayson Tatum have found ways to win plenty of games and playoff series.
The teams that can actually trade for Giannis (and should)
Esfandiar Baraheni
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Sam Amick and Eric Naim of the Athletic recently reported that a bidding war will happen for Giannis this summer, and it’s easy to see why. It’s true that Giannis spent the last season sidelined with injuries and then dealt with a tanking. Bucks team. In fact, Giannis’s last couple of seasons have ended in injury, which has created an air of uncertainty around a 31-year-old big man who relies heavily on athleticism to be dominant. But again, that’s not going to stop teams from going after him. After all, Giannis had finished top 5 in MVP voting in 7 straight seasons before this last one, and guys who average 30, 10, and 5 a night don’t just grow on trees. So there will be a lot. A lot of teams that will be interested, but only a few have a genuine chance. Of course, Giannis will have some say in matters, and his reported interest in joining the New York Knicks or Miami Heat could give those teams a legitimate chance of acquiring him. And of course, you can’t discount a dark horse team like the Thunder or Spurs suddenly deciding to trade for Giannis. For OKC in San Antonio, it goes against the way both front offices have operated. Since they like to build slowly through the draft, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they want to take a big swing to get an advantage over one another. But in my eyes, there are only 3 teams that make sense as Giannis destinations, not only for the team, but for the Greek freak himself. The Minnesota Timberwolves, the Houston Rockets, or the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let’s start with the Timberwolves, who fell short of their championship goals again, despite a spirited effort from a really resilient group. Led by Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. The Wolves are at a crossroads roster-wise. McDaniels and Edwards are both extension eligible this summer. They have to re-sign Ayo Desumu, who they traded for and who was a big part of their playoff run. It’s sort of the last summer for them to make a big move and make use of the big contracts they do have on the roster. That’s why Rudy Gobert and Julius Randall are incredibly important pieces this summer. Both are entering their mid-30s and have 2 years left on their deals, including player options in the final year. While Gobert had a great series versus the Denver Nuggets, shutting down Nikole Jokic, he struggled immensely versus the Spurs, and his lack of offensive output limited his ability to stay on the floor. Randall, meanwhile, had a near All-Star season, but also struggled versus the Spurs’ athleticism and point of attack defense in the playoffs. So, they need to upgrade. Enter Giannis Anteokumpo. Here’s how the trade could look. The Wolves would send Gobert, Randall, Terrence Shannon Jr. Dante Di Vincenzo, two unprotected first-round picks in 2028 and 2033, alongside the 28th pick in the 2026 draft, and two first-round pick swaps for Giannis and Miles Turner. The Bucks get Shannon, a young, intriguing prospect who shone in the playoffs for the Wolves alongside Randall, an all-star caliber player. and Gobert, a Defensive Player of the Year level big man, all while getting rid of Turner’s current contract. It kind of makes sense for both teams. Admittedly, the Bucks will likely want to get McDaniels in the deal and maybe the Wolves take up their offer, but Minnesota needs to do this now because Edwards is championship-ready. The combination of Giannis’s rim finishing and playmaking next to Edwards’ shot-making and pull-up three-point shooting in a perfect world. is a match made in heaven. This is the type of trade that puts the Wolves in the same category as the Thunder and the Spurs and gives Ant a real chance at winning a title. The Rockets, on the other hand, should make the Giannis trade for more desperate reasons. Houston isn’t as close to winning a championship as Minnesota is, but they do have Kevin Durant, who is still seemingly at the peak of his powers, and they will have Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams returning from injury. They’ve Also learned through this win now process that while Alpern Chengoon, Aman Thompson, and Reed Shepherd are all really talented players to varying levels, they are relatively flawed and difficult to build around. So they should use this opportunity to cash in their chips and pair Giannis with Durant and make a formidable, albeit older, championship contender. The trade would send Shengoun, Shepherd, and Salary to Milwaukee alongside multiple first-round. Picks. In exchange, the Bucks would send the Rockets Giannis and AJ Green, a sharpshooter who could help with Houston’s three-point shooting woes. This is the ultimate win now move, accelerating the Rockets’ timeline in a major way to try and win around a 37 year old Durant and a 3-1-year-old Giannis. With VanVleet, Thompson, Adams, and Jabari Smith Junior still on the team, the Rockets would boast not only the top-end talent to compete for a championship, but the depth. To bolster their chances. The final team that I think makes perfect sense for Giannis is the Cleveland Cavaliers. By trading for James Harden, they are 100% in win now mode, and so is Giannis. After making it to the conference finals, they must feel close enough that taking a swing is the right call. And all it will cost them in a trade is Evan Mobley and a few first-round picks. Look, Mobley is an all-star level talent and a former Defensive Player of the Year. Truthfully, I think he had an underrated 2026 playoff run for the Cavs, but he hasn’t taken that offensive leap that Cleveland had hoped for. And with Harden in the fold now, taking up offensive usage, they don’t have the time to nurture that growth anymore. They need a finished product. Giannis is that and some. Not only could Anton Okumpo work alongside Harden as a screener, but he could initiate actions and allow for Donovan Mitchell to be off of the ball. More, getting easier shots. With the Greek freak, the Cavs instantly become favorites in the East, and that is worth trading Mobley for. So whether it’s the Cavs, the Rockets, or Timberwolves, I think all three are perfect destinations for Giannis to end up. And what team he goes to will determine how fans look back on his illustrious career. But what do you think? Where does Giannis fit best? Let us know in the comments and make sure to like and subscribe to the channel.”,”ineligibleRegion”:[“BI”,”BY”,”CD”,”CF”,”CU”,”IQ”,”IR”,”KP”,”LB”,”LY”,”ML”,”NI”,”RU”,”SD”,”SO”,”SS”,”SY”,”UA”,”VE”,”YE”,”ZW”],”publisher”:{“@type”:”NewsMediaOrganization”,”@id”:”https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/#publisher”,”name”:”The Athletic”,”url”:”https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/”,”foundingDate”:”2016-01-25″,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”@id”:”https://theathletic.com/app/themes/athletic/assets/img/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png”,”url”:”https://theathletic.com/app/themes/athletic/assets/img/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png”,”contentUrl”:”https://theathletic.com/app/themes/athletic/assets/img/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png”,”creditText”:”The Athletic”,”height”:”60″,”width”:”435″},”publishingPrinciples”:”https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/edit-guidelines/”,”sameAs”:”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Athletic”},”author”:[{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”Esfandiar Baraheni”}]}
Still, Stevens just lost in the first round for the first time as the president of basketball operations. That alone could prompt him to consider bigger changes. And the Celtics core isn’t necessarily old yet, but isn’t particularly young anymore with Derrick White nearly 32, Brown 29 and Tatum 28 and on the other side of a torn Achilles.
The Celtics wouldn’t take trading Brown lightly, but one other possible path for this summer would be cashing in on his high current value. It would likely take a whole lot to convince Boston to listen to offers for Brown, but there could be a team willing to blow the Celtics away after he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while making second team All-NBA.
One year ago, Stevens found himself in a much different place with Tatum facing a long recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and the Celtics needing to strip away key pieces of their roster for financial purposes. Despite the disappointment of their first-round loss, their fortunes have improved since then. Even while operating at 80 to 85 percent, by his estimation, Tatum played well enough to inspire confidence that the injury won’t sap his production much, if at all, moving forward. In the absence of several departed veterans, the Celtics unearthed a group of new contributors that materialized into an impactful bench unit. Some of those players, including González, have plenty of upside to grow into. With Tatum healthy again and the youngsters one year older, the Celtics would have significant room for growth next season, even if they don’t change their roster much.
Stevens could decide a bigger overhaul is wise. He will need to choose which path is best.