The Boston Celtics are in for a busy summer. Brad Stevens is expected to aggressive in the trade market. He will likely be looking to get the franchise below the second luxury tax apron. However, that means he will also be re-tooling the roster.
Brian Windhorst, speaking on a May 29 episode of ESPN’s Get Up, said the Celtics are one of the few viable trade destinations for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Windhorst noted that Boston could trade for the former MVP while remaining competitive.
“I think you have to look at the teams that could make a trade for Giannis that the Bucks would accept and on the other side of the trade would have a contending team,” Windhorst said. “So Boston would be on that list. Boston may be the only one.”
Giannis could become available for trade this summer. The Milwaukee Bucks have failed to contend for championships in recent years. As such, Giannis could search for a new home. Nevertheless, most teams that could trade for the powerful forward would be gutting their depth to do so. Boston could easily match Giannis’ salary and retain the depth and talent needed to be a contender moving forward.
Jaylen Brown Would be the Makeweight
If the Celtics did choose to get involved in the Giannis sweepstakes, Jaylen Brown would likely be the player heading to Milwaukee. Brown, 28, has four years remaining on his $285 million contract. Boston could easily do a straight swap with some additional picks heading to the Bucks.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the Celtics would choose to make that deal. Giannis is two years older than Brown. Furthermore, Jayson Tatum‘s injury-induced absence would mean the franchise may not give Giannis the title shot he craves for at least one more year.
Still, as we’ve learned with Stevens, you can never bet against him taking a big swing. If he feels Giannis is the missing piece to the next version of this Celtics team, he could choose to make a blockbuster deal.
Celtics Jrue Holiday More Likely to be Traded
The more logical approach for Boston this summer will be moving on from Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Currently, Holiday projects to be the first name out the door. And that’s because he’s already drawing interest from around the NBA.
In a May 28 report, Masslive’s Brian Robb cited the LA Clippers as the latest team to show interest in acquiring Holiday.
“Holiday is expected to be pursued by several teams on the trade market. A league source tells MassLive that the Los Angeles Clippers are one team expected to show interest in the 34-year-old guard this offseason,” Robb reported. “Holiday is also from Los Angeles and played college basketball at UCLA before the 76ers drafted him in 2009. If the Celtics elect to move on from the guard this offseason, sending him to a team in LA would potentially soften the blow of dealing him just one year after signing him to a four-year extension.”
Holiday is a proven winner. Contending teams around the league will likely explore the possibility of acquiring him. As such, the Celtics should receive some competitive offers in the coming months. And while it will hurt to see Jrue go, trading him will be the first step to rebuilding the rotation for the future.
