Why Celtics’ Jayson Tatum is the biggest Giannis Antetokounmpo draw amid the Bucks’ trade sweepstakes

The Miami Heat have reason to be concerned about Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics potentially driving a wedge between them to acquire Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade this summer. While a trade package centered around Brown could be the best Giannis replacement for the Bucks, joining forces with Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum could be best for Antetokounmpo’s chances to win a second championship. Maybe that’s what he’s thinking heading into a critical offseason.

Reports have continued to suggest the Celtics have not shown any interest in trading for Antetokounmpo. But that could soon change in light of one highlighting significant ties between the Celtics and Antetokounmpo, including Tatum, and Giannis’ reported interest in Boston, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer.

“League sources with knowledge of the situation maintained that Boston had not yet seriously engaged Milwaukee on an Antetokounmpo trade,” Fischer wrote. “But they also declined to rule out the possibility of the Celtics eventually entering the fray. Rival teams, furthermore, continue to point to Boston’s various assets as illustrating its ability to become a factor here.

“They also note that Antetokounmpo shares a skills coach with Jayson Tatum (Drew Hanlen) and is believed to have a level of interest in landing with the Celtics on top of his well-chronicled affinity for Miami.”

Still, without a piqued interest from the Celtics, the Heat remain a reported favorite to land Antetokounmpo. However, things could change in the next couple of weeks.

“Those same sources likewise insist that the Celtics have yet to engage in any meaningful trade conversation this spring involving Jaylen Brown after Brown’s tremendous 2025-26 campaign,” Fischer added. “But it also hasn’t been categorically dismissed as a possibility. This much is clear: Boston is believed to be a potential suitor that genuinely concerns Miami.

“There is skepticism, by contrast, that Antetokounmpo would truly be open to signing a contract extension in Portland, which is expected to inevitably dissuade the Trail Blazers from trading for him directly. Sources say Antetokounmpo’s interest in Miami, meanwhile, dates back to the 2020 offseason before he signed the first of two contract extensions with the Bucks.”

The chances of Antetokounmpo inking a third extension with the Bucks feel highly unlikely. However, joining forces with All-Star center Bam Adebayo and the Heat doesn’t have the same glimmer as it once did back in 2020, when Miami reached the NBA Finals, or the ensuing years, when All-Star Jimmy Butler and the Heat won the Eastern Conference Finals a second time in three tries.

At the same time, Tatum, Brown, and the Celtics were ascending into stardom, winning the Eastern Conference Finals for a second time in three years to capture 2024’s title. If you’re the Bucks, you see a Finals MVP in Brown, who’s 29 and just turned in an MVP-caliber season as the leading candidate to replace Giannis. If you’re Antetokounmpo, you see yourself as Jaylen’s replacement in the Celtics’ All-NBA tandem.

Does Giannis Antetokounmpo want to join Jayson Tatum, Celtics?

It sounds like Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo is torn between the Heat and the Celtics as his preferred destinations, albeit the prospect of joining forces with Jayson Tatum to take down All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks. Perhaps watching what the Knicks have done to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals has changed Antetokounmpo’s vision toward his next championship-contending team.

Brunson, Towns, and the Knicks aren’t going anywhere and will only get better as a cohesive unit, driven by a disciplined approach and a winning mentality. Look at OG Anunoby’s heroics in Game 4’s 29-point comeback win, which has the Spurs on the brink of elimination, trailing the Knicks, 3-1. Can Antetokounmpo and the Heat take down New York in 2026-27?

Winning is Antetokounmpo’s only driving force in planning his exit from the Bucks. It’s the main reason why he wants out, as the Bucks have not reached the Eastern Conference Finals since their championship run in 2021. In the meantime, the Heat have had a first-round exit three consecutive seasons since losing to the Celtics 4-3 in the 2022 ECF.

This season, the Heat missed the playoffs, which is something Antetokounmpo can relate to, as too been losing in the first round for three years in a row. Perhaps the only person pushing a potential Celtics blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo is Giannis. The prospect of joining forces with Tatum is intriguing, considering how young Jayson, 28, still is, ahead of what will be his tenth season in Boston.

How the Celtics should approach potential offseason moves

The most important question that Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens should ask himself when considering a potential trade for Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo is: Will this trade make my team better now and for the future?

Barring a Jaylen Brown trade request, keeping the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown tandem intact makes the most sense for the team’s championship window. Both All-Stars are under contract for at least two more seasons under max dollars, whereas Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season.

However, improving Tatum and Brown’s supporting cast is Stevens’ goal for the summer. For Stevens, you’re not close to winning a title after blowing a 3-1 lead in a first-round series against the 76ers, regardless of losing Tatum toward the end of their best-of-7. The Celtics finished with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference standings and choked in three consecutive losses toward a first-round exit.

Stevens should see what the asking price will be for players such as All-Defensive guard Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and 3-point shooter Sam Hauser. The Celtics will also have a $27.7 million trade exception and a $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE) as the Celtics approach the free-agency market.

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