The Boston Celtics are undoubtedly one of the greatest NBA franchises of all time. The team was among the favorites to land Giannis Antetokounmpo; however, he eventually ended up getting traded to the Miami Heat. With the Celtics losing out on the blockbuster trade already making waves, reasons for the failed pursuit have emerged.
After 13 years with the Bucks, Giannis is finally set for a fresh start. Milwaukee reportedly traded the Greek Freak along with Bobby Portis in return for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and a few draft picks. The trade is yet to become official as free agency begins on June 30.
The breaking news was announced by ESPN’s Shams Charania, who later revealed what went wrong with the Bucks’ negotiations with the Celtics. “My understanding is the Celtics aggressively pursued Giannis this draft period cycle,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “They went after him at the deadline as well but clearly nothing came to fruition.”
The Celtics reportedly offered Jaylen Brown and two unprotected first-round picks to the Bucks for Giannis. However, Milwaukee wanted young players such as Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman to also be part of the trade. “They wanted more first-round picks, more swaps,” Charania said before claiming, “the Celtics were not willing to part with enough young players and assets to get a deal done.”
This isn’t the first time Boston has tried to trade away their 2025 NBA Finals MVP. Back in 2022, Brown was offered to the Brooklyn Nets in return for Kevin Durant. Charania recalled the failed pursuit while adding how Brown has much more on his resume now than he did four years ago. “The tables are a little different now because Jaylen Brown is a finals MVP,” he said.
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Brown is expected to be the NBA’s seventh-highest-paid player for the upcoming 2026-27 season, with a salary of $57.07 million. He led the Celtics in scoring, averaging 28.7 points per game. Brown led his team while Jayson Tatum was recovering for most of the season from a ruptured Achilles. His current contract ends after the 2028-29 season.
However, Charania did point out that Brown is eligible for an extension in July this year. While the Celtics have yet to figure out their dilemma with the 29-year-old star, the Bucks are looking for a new chapter after reportedly trading Giannis. The NBA star won the franchise’s first NBA Championship in 2021 after a 50-year wait.
Giannis also holds the franchise record for most games played (895), most points scored (21,531), most assists made (4,484), most triple-doubles (56), along with several other records. As the two-time NBA MVP finds his feet in Miami, the Celtics will continue to find a solution involving Brown.
