Weighing pros, cons of Celtics trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Boston Celtics

Antetokounmpo turns 32 years old in December, but the superstar forward could raise the Celtics’ ceiling alongside Jayson Tatum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a superstar pickup for Brad Stevens this summer. Erin Clark/The Boston Globe

​Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens took his team to task last week in the wake of a disheartening first-round exit to the 76ers.

​“There’s no question what we want,” Stevens said at the Auerbach Center. “There’s no question, when you look at what’s true, that, though we did a lot of good things, we lost in the first round. And we were also 3-11 against the top three seeds in the West and the other top two in the East. And so, we’ve got to get better.”

One avenue that Stevens and the Celtics could take to “get better?” Orchestrating a blockbuster trade for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks are reportedly open for business this summer when it comes to listening to offers for the 31-year-old forward, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. ​

Boston — who reportedly expressed interest in dealing for the two-time MVP earlier this season — would be a logical fit as a contending club in the Eastern Conference who might be looking for a roster shakeup of its own.

​​Bringing in a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber would be a major boost to a Celtics team still looking to cash in on this current contention window with Jayson Tatum in his prime.

But, the cost would be steep, with Stevens likely needing to part with Jaylen Brown to facilitate such a trade.

Is that trade-off worth it for the Celtics as they try to put themselves over the top in pursuit of a 19th title? Let’s assess the pros and cons of such a trade.

PRO: Giannis addresses a critical need for Boston’s roster

Stevens was candid last week when asked about Boston’s most pressing need entering this offseason.

​Even with Boston’s roster anchored by a pair of superstar talents in Tatum and Brown, Stevens acknowledged that Boston’s personnel struggled with both generating easy baskets in the paint and protecting attempts down the other end of the court.

​“We’ve got to figure out a way to do better in that,” Stevens said, “and I think that one of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim. And I think we do need to add to our team to do that.”

​If the Celtics are looking for a potential remedy there, Antetokounmpo serves as a cheat code for scoring down low and locking down the paint.

Even if he’s not much of a 3-point threat, Antetokounmpo doles out plenty of damage around the basket. Despite only appearing in 36 games this past season, he finished sixth in the league in total dunks with 142. He led the league in that category over the previous two years from 2023-25.

As noted by Zack Cox of the Boston Herald, Antetokounmpo has ranked first or second in made field goals inside five feet per game in each of the last 10 seasons — finishing first in seven of those seasons. 

The 6-foot-11, 243-pound forward is also a former Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-NBA Defensive First Team winner who can give Boston some added rim protection on defense moving forward.

If the Celtics are looking for an equalizer in the paint, you can’t get much better than Antetokounmpo.

CON: It would likely cost Jaylen Brown

The Celtics could conceivably get creative and package multiple players like Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and others to try to make the money work in a potential Antetokounmpo deal. ​

However, that would still require a lot of roster juggling on Stevens’s part — and would sap Boston of both critical depth and 3-point shooting needed to complement Antetokounmpo’s skill set. ​

The easiest path for all parties is likely a trade centered around Brown, who could offset Antetokounmpo’s salary and could presumably be flipped by Milwaukee for more assets as they brace for an extended rebuild.

Brown’s comments on Twitch and several recent reports have spurred plenty of discourse over the 29-year-old star’s future in Boston and whether or not he might be better off as the No. 1 player for another franchise after serving in such a role with Tatum on the mend.

Adding a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, assisting the Bucks’ expected roster teardown, and putting Brown in a spot where he can drive the bus as the unquestioned top option (perhaps the Hawks?) could satisfy all parties.

Still, it’s a sizable gamble on the part of Stevens to willingly split up “The Jays” and close this chapter of the Celtics — one that resulted in a title in 2024.

PRO: Giannis could maximize Boston’s contention window

Dealing for a 31-year-old Antetokounmpo raises some concerns regarding the superstar’s age, his fit on a new team, and several other variables — especially when weighed against the established production that Boston has relished when a healthy Brown and Tatum are on the court.

​Swapping out Brown for an older Antetokounmpo might shorten Boston’s true contention window by a couple of years.

​But, it could also boost Boston’s hopes of capturing at least another title or two during Tatum’s prime years — so long as Antetokounmpo continues to thrive as a top-10 (if not top-5) player in the league.

A healthy Tatum and Antetokounmpo could be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams, especially if that group is still complemented by a supporting cast comprised of at least some holdovers like White, Pritchard, Neemias Queta, and younger wings like Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh.

Even with Antetokounmpo’s injury woes this past season, he’s still an elite talent who finished top-five in MVP voting in each of the previous seven seasons. During the 2024-25 campaign, he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. ​

Brown is a star — but Antetokounmpo is the type of generational talent who could help Boston topple established or rising teams like the Thunder, Knicks, and Spurs.

CON: Antetokounmpo’s age could be a concern

As appealing as it might be to envision vintage Giannis on the parquet floor, the Celtics could be burned if a player whose game is predicated on his absurd athleticism starts to feel the effects of Father Time.

​Several injuries hindered Antetokounmpo this past season, with recurring calf, knee, ankle, and adductor ailments preventing the forward from gaining traction in what could be his final season in Milwaukee.

​Even if Antetokounmpo is granted a clean bill of health entering the 2026-27 season, Boston might be set for disappointment if it’s expecting a nearly 7-foot forward to keep up his prime production for the long haul — especially as he turns 32 years old in December.

​Factor in that Antetokounmpo is due for a sizable contract extension with whichever team lands him ($58.5 million salary next year, $62.8 million player option in 2027-28), and the Celtics could find themselves in dire straits if Antetokounmpo’s game erodes in short order.

CON: It would drastically alter the Celtics’ identity, approach

When the Celtics prioritized size and added rim protection going into the 2023-24 season, Stevens added a floor-spacing 7-footer who could swat shots AND sink 3-pointers in Kristaps Porzingis — giving Joe Mazzulla a key pickup who could still fit into his 3-heavy approach. ​

Antetokounmpo is still a productive force down both ends of the court, but he doesn’t exactly fit into Mazzulla’s M.O. when it comes to unleashing a barrage of shots from beyond the arc. ​

For all the damage that Antetokounmpo doles out, it’s not usually from 3-point range. He has averaged just 2.2 3-point attempts per game in his career, sinking 28.5 percent of his attempts from that range. ​

Granted, Brown isn’t exactly a knockdown shooter — nor is his game predicated on sinking down multiple 3-pointers per game.

But a player with Antetokounmpo’s unique profile and skill set would likely lead to multiple growing pains for a ball-dominant forward like Antetokounmpo on a new team, an established superstar in Tatum, and a head coach in Mazzulla who would have to make some sizable tweaks to his system.

The talent is evident. B​​ut, for every “Big 3” Celtics team, the “Heatles,” and Kevin Durant in Golden State, there are plenty of instances of teams failing to mesh when adding additional star talent to win-now rosters.

PRO: A shakeup to the Celtics’ system and identity might be needed

While there might be some uncomfortable adjustments for all involved if Antetokounmpo arrives in Boston, Stevens didn’t exactly sound ready to just run back the same core next season.

“This is why this is hard for me to reconcile, three days after the playoffs, because I’m pissed,” Stevens said last week. “Like, I’d rather be playing the Knicks tonight. But, as I look back, we didn’t have a team that was as experienced or certainly as ready for that moment as we’ve had in the past.”

Keeping Tatum and Brown together while making tweaks around the rest of the roster stands as a surefire way to bank 50 wins and enter the playoffs again as a legitimate contender in 2027. But, is it enough to put the Celtics over the top?

If Stevens thinks this current roster has maxed out its potential, swinging for the fences with a player like Antetokounmpo might be a risk worth taking.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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