The Boston Celtics appear to fully be in the conversation for the upcoming Giannis Antetokounmpo trade this offseason. Once the NBA Finals end, most executives around the league expect the Milwaukee Bucks to finally pull the trigger on the trade before the NBA Draft. Boston has joined the Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, and Minnesota Timberwolves as the teams most interested in adding Antetokounmpo to their roster.
Portland’s desire to get Giannis comes from the leverage of owning two upcoming Bucks picks. Milwaukee will badly want those picks back for a chance at rebuilding once they lost their franchise player and ultimately lose more games. Rumors of the Bucks being unsure about Jaylen Brown means that the Celtics will need a three-team trade.
Fadeaway Media pitched the following framework of players:
“Boston Celtics Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Jaylen Brown
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant”
The Bucks would also receive their two draft picks back from Portland and more draft compensation from Boston. Both teams would add a new superstar to increase their chances of contending. One flaw to this deal is the Trail Blazers giving up more assets than the Celtics. Portland could ask to keep one of their two young guards and make Boston add another player.
Why Every Team Wins With This Trade
All three teams in a trade here leave with their best-case scenario. Boston would become an even stronger contender with the duo of Giannis and Jayson Tatum as two of the top ten players in the league. The trade losing Brown would allow the Celtics to keep their depth off the bench instead of moving too many players.
Milwaukee getting their picks back and some young talent from the Blazers in a three-team deal would be a dream haul. The draft picks are most important, but young names like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Yang Hansen are names that could give them hope for a brighter future.
Portland is the key here and would have to settle for trading their assets for a player less than Giannis as the current dream scenario. However, Brown gives them an All-NBA player who instantly becomes their top superstar. The Blazers have a nice mix of veterans and young talents who are one piece away from contending.
Starting Lineups For Each Team After Trade
The Heat remain the biggest threat to blocking this three-team deal since they are considered the one favorite over Boston. Portland sending back Milwaukee’s 2028 and 2030 draft picks are what tips the scale to make this package more impressive than Miami’s offer of Kel’El Ware and Tyler Herro as top options.
Each team’s starting lineup would look like this after a three-team trade before making any other moves:
Boston: Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Neemias Queta
Portland: Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan
Milwaukee: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Kyle Kuzma, Jerami Grant, Myles Turner
Both Boston and Portland become much stronger contenders by increasing the star power on their respective rosters. Milwaukee gets a chance to develop new young stars and get to control their own future by having the full rights to their future draft picks.
Trail Blazers Becoming Pivotal For Celtics Acquiring Giannis