The Celtics considered a franchise-rattling move before February’s trade deadline, with Boston among several teams that pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to a report Monday. The two-time NBA MVP stayed with the Milwaukee Bucks, but the report adds a new layer to a Boston offseason that already points toward another major reset.
Details of Boston’s midseason pursuit were unclear, but the possibility alone says plenty about how aggressively the Celtics viewed the market. ’s Shams Charania reported that the Bucks are open for business on offers for Antetokounmpo, and that the finishes to the seasons of prior suitors will factor heavily into how hard they push now. For Boston, that matters because president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been given another chance to craft a bid after the team already trimmed its payroll and reshaped the roster below the luxury tax line.
The Celtics’ interest fits a pattern around one of the league’s most accomplished players. Antetokounmpo has made First Team All-NBA and finished in the top four in MVP voting in each of the last seven seasons, not including this one. He was limited to 36 games this season by knee, ankle, adductor and calf injuries, though in April he said he was being held out despite being healthy enough to play. His shooting has long been one of the questions around his game — his career 3-point average is 28.5%, and he hit 33.3% from beyond the arc this season — but his power at the rim remains the kind of force teams design entire defenses around.
That is part of why Stevens’ comments at his end-of-season news conference matter now. He said the Celtics needed changes and specifically said he wanted the team to “have more of an impact at the rim.” Since his breakout season in 2016-17, Antetokounmpo has ranked first or second in made field goals inside five feet per game every season listed here, a reminder of how disruptive he would be if Boston ever got serious about turning interest into a deal.
Boston has already taken smaller steps this offseason, swapping Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic and remaking the back end of the bench to duck beneath the luxury tax line. But the larger question is whether the Celtics stop at modest changes or keep chasing a star who can change the balance of the Eastern Conference. Reports from Marc Stein and The Athletic’s Sam Amick also linked Boston to Antetokounmpo, and with Milwaukee now described as open for business, the league’s next phase may depend as much on the Celtics’ appetite as on the Bucks’ willingness to listen.
The intrigue is real because Boston’s window is still open, and because Antetokounmpo is the kind of player who can force a team to redraw its plans in a single move. Whether the Celtics actually make that leap will shape the rest of their summer.
