Boston’s pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to have moved from speculation to a live trade conversation, with Kevin O’Connor saying the Celtics are making calls and are open to trading anybody on the roster except Jayson Tatum. O’Connor also said Boston is in on Antetokounmpo, a sign the team is not treating this as background noise.
That is why the Bill Simmons Giannis Celtics Podcast discussion has mattered this week: Simmons said he believed the Celtics were out of the race, then reversed himself and said Boston was back in it. For readers looking for the real meaning, the message is simple. If the Celtics are serious, the table does not appear to start with Tatum, and it may not stop with the rest of the core.
Jaylen Brown is the clearest name in that picture. Brown finished sixth in MVP voting this season and will turn 30 in October, which makes him the kind of player Milwaukee would have to weigh carefully if Boston ever pushed a deal forward. Brian Windhorst said he had not heard anything about Brown or Derrick White being available, but Sam Amick and Eric Nehm said Brown would likely be the most prominent player headed to Milwaukee in such a trade.
That is the part that makes the story feel bigger than a simple rumor cycle. Multiple reports say Antetokounmpo is intrigued by the idea of joining the Celtics, and the Bucks are expected to make a decision on his future before the NBA Draft, which is less than two weeks away. Antetokounmpo has one year left on his deal followed by a player option, so Milwaukee is trying to balance the value of any return against the cost of moving a star who already delivered a title in 2021.
The friction is obvious: Boston sounds willing to explore almost everything except Tatum, yet there is still no clear sign that Brown or White is actually on the board. That gap is what keeps the talks moving and the answers missing. If the Celtics really are in on Antetokounmpo, the next decision from the Bucks will tell the league whether this is a serious chase or just another week of noise around a franchise-caliber name.
