Boston Celtics
Antetokounmpo turns 32 years outdated in December, however the celebrity ahead may increase the Celtics’ ceiling alongside Jayson Tatum.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens took his staff to process final week within the wake of a disheartening first-round exit to the 76ers.
“There’s no query what we wish,” Stevens said at the Auerbach Center. “There’s no query, once you take a look at what’s true, that, although we did loads of good issues, we misplaced within the first spherical. And we have been additionally 3-11 towards the highest three seeds within the West and the opposite high two within the East. And so, we’ve bought to get higher.”
One avenue that Stevens and the Celtics may take to “get higher?” Orchestrating a blockbuster commerce for Bucks celebrity Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks are reportedly open for enterprise this summer season in the case of listening to affords for the 31-year-old ahead, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Boston — who reportedly expressed curiosity in dealing for the two-time MVP earlier this season — can be a logical match as a contending membership within the Japanese Convention who could be searching for a roster shakeup of its personal.
Bringing in a participant of Antetokounmpo’s caliber can be a serious enhance to a Celtics staff nonetheless seeking to money in on this present competition window with Jayson Tatum in his prime.
However, the fee can be steep, with Stevens probably needing to half with Jaylen Brown to facilitate such a commerce.
Is that trade-off price it for the Celtics as they attempt to put themselves excessive in pursuit of a nineteenth title? Let’s assess the professionals and cons of such a commerce.
PRO: Giannis addresses a important want for Boston’s roster
Stevens was candid final week when requested about Boston’s most urgent want coming into this offseason.
Even with Boston’s roster anchored by a pair of celebrity skills in Tatum and Brown, Stevens acknowledged that Boston’s personnel struggled with each producing straightforward baskets within the paint and defending makes an attempt down the opposite finish of the court docket.
“We’ve bought to determine a strategy to do higher in that,” Stevens stated, “and I feel that one of many issues that we’ve bought to determine is the right way to have extra of an affect on the rim. And I feel we do want so as to add to our staff to try this.”
If the Celtics are searching for a possible treatment there, Antetokounmpo serves as a cheat code for scoring down low and locking down the paint.
Even when he’s not a lot of a 3-point risk, Antetokounmpo doles out loads of harm across the basket. Regardless of solely showing in 36 video games this previous season, he completed sixth within the league in complete dunks with 142. He led the league in that class over the earlier two years from 2023-25.
As famous by Zack Cox of the Boston Herald, Antetokounmpo has ranked first or second in made discipline objectives inside 5 toes per sport in every of the final 10 seasons — finishing first in seven of those seasons.
The 6-foot-11, 243-pound ahead can be a former Defensive Participant of the Yr and four-time All-NBA Defensive First Group winner who can provide Boston some added rim safety on protection shifting ahead.
If the Celtics are searching for an equalizer within the paint, you’ll be able to’t get a lot better than Antetokounmpo.
CON: It will probably price Jaylen Brown
The Celtics may conceivably get inventive and package deal a number of gamers like Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and others to attempt to make the cash work in a possible Antetokounmpo deal.
Nevertheless, that may nonetheless require loads of roster juggling on Stevens’s half — and would sap Boston of each important depth and 3-point capturing wanted to enrich Antetokounmpo’s talent set.
The simplest path for all events is probably going a commerce centered round Brown, who may offset Antetokounmpo’s wage and will presumably be flipped by Milwaukee for extra property as they brace for an prolonged rebuild.
Brown’s comments on Twitch and several recent reports have spurred loads of discourse over the 29-year-old star’s future in Boston and whether or not or not he could be higher off because the No. 1 participant for an additional franchise after serving in such a job with Tatum on the mend.
Including a participant of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, helping the Bucks’ anticipated roster teardown, and placing Brown in a spot the place he can drive the bus because the unquestioned high possibility (perhaps the Hawks?) may fulfill all events.
Nonetheless, it’s a large gamble on the a part of Stevens to willingly cut up up “The Jays” and shut this chapter of the Celtics — one which resulted in a title in 2024.
PRO: Giannis may maximize Boston’s competition window
Dealing for a 31-year-old Antetokounmpo raises some issues relating to the celebrity’s age, his match on a brand new staff, and several other different variables — particularly when weighed towards the established manufacturing that Boston has relished when a wholesome Brown and Tatum are on the court docket.
Swapping out Brown for an older Antetokounmpo would possibly shorten Boston’s true competition window by a few years.
However, it may additionally enhance Boston’s hopes of capturing at the very least one other title or two throughout Tatum’s prime years — as long as Antetokounmpo continues to thrive as a top-10 (if not top-5) participant within the league.
A wholesome Tatum and Antetokounmpo might be a matchup nightmare for opposing groups, particularly if that group continues to be complemented by a supporting forged comprised of at the very least some holdovers like White, Pritchard, Neemias Queta, and youthful wings like Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh.
Even with Antetokounmpo’s damage woes this previous season, he’s nonetheless an elite expertise who completed top-five in MVP voting in every of the earlier seven seasons. In the course of the 2024-25 marketing campaign, he averaged 30.4 factors, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per sport.
Brown is a star — however Antetokounmpo is the kind of generational expertise who may assist Boston topple established or rising groups just like the Thunder, Knicks, and Spurs.
CON: Antetokounmpo’s age might be a priority
As interesting because it could be to ascertain classic Giannis on the parquet flooring, the Celtics might be burned if a participant whose sport is based on his absurd athleticism begins to really feel the results of Father Time.
A number of accidents hindered Antetokounmpo this previous season, with recurring calf, knee, ankle, and adductor illnesses stopping the ahead from gaining traction in what might be his last season in Milwaukee.
Even when Antetokounmpo is granted a clear invoice of well being coming into the 2026-27 season, Boston could be set for disappointment if it’s anticipating an almost 7-foot ahead to maintain up his prime manufacturing for the lengthy haul — particularly as he turns 32 years outdated in December.
Consider that Antetokounmpo is due for a large contract extension with whichever staff lands him ($58.5 million wage subsequent 12 months, $62.8 million participant possibility in 2027-28), and the Celtics may discover themselves in dire straits if Antetokounmpo’s sport erodes briefly order.
CON: It will drastically alter the Celtics’ id, strategy
When the Celtics prioritized dimension and added rim safety going into the 2023-24 season, Stevens added a floor-spacing 7-footer who may swat photographs AND sink 3-pointers in Kristaps Porzingis — giving Joe Mazzulla a key pickup who may nonetheless match into his 3-heavy strategy.
Antetokounmpo continues to be a productive power down each ends of the court docket, however he doesn’t precisely match into Mazzulla’s M.O. in the case of unleashing a barrage of photographs from past the arc.
For all of the harm that Antetokounmpo doles out, it’s not often from 3-point vary. He has averaged simply 2.2 3-point makes an attempt per sport in his profession, sinking 28.5 p.c of his makes an attempt from that vary.
Granted, Brown isn’t precisely a knockdown shooter — neither is his sport predicated on sinking down a number of 3-pointers per sport.
However a participant with Antetokounmpo’s distinctive profile and talent set would probably result in a number of rising pains for a ball-dominant ahead like Antetokounmpo on a brand new staff, a longtime celebrity in Tatum, and a head coach in Mazzulla who must make some sizable tweaks to his system.
The expertise is obvious. But, for each “Large 3” Celtics staff, the “Heatles,” and Kevin Durant in Golden State, there are many situations of groups failing to mesh when including extra star expertise to win-now rosters.
PRO: A shakeup to the Celtics’ system and id could be wanted
Whereas there could be some uncomfortable changes for all concerned if Antetokounmpo arrives in Boston, Stevens didn’t precisely sound prepared to simply run again the identical core subsequent season.
“For this reason that is onerous for me to reconcile, three days after the playoffs, as a result of I’m pissed,” Stevens stated final week. “Like, I’d quite be taking part in the Knicks tonight. However, as I look again, we didn’t have a staff that was as skilled or actually as prepared for that second as we’ve had prior to now.”
Retaining Tatum and Brown collectively whereas making tweaks round the remainder of the roster stands as a surefire strategy to financial institution 50 wins and enter the playoffs once more as a respectable contender in 2027. However, is it sufficient to place the Celtics excessive?
If Stevens thinks this present roster has maxed out its potential, swinging for the fences with a participant like Antetokounmpo could be a danger price taking.
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