Boston Celtics
“I know Boston was out of this. I was wondering if they were playing possum or not.”
The Celtics have continued to be linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. Erin Clark/The Boston Globe
June 11, 2026 | 6:02 PM
2 minutes to read
Are the Boston Celtics making a late entry into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes?
Longtime Boston sports scribe and The Ringer founder Bill Simmons seems to think so.
Simmons made headlines last month when he signaled that Boston’s interest in the two-time MVP may not be all that high.
“I think Giannis wants to go to Boston and I’m not sure Boston wants Giannis,” Simmons said. “I think that’s the push and pull right now.”
But, Simmons seems to have changed his tone, based on the latest episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
While most of the podcast centered around the Knicks’ improbable comeback win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Simmons also dropped an interesting nugget on the Celtics and Antetokounmpo.
“I thought Boston was out of this,” Simmons said. “I know Boston was out of this. I was wondering if they were playing possum or not. I think they were playing a little possum. I think they are in on Giannis.
“I’m not recanting what I said before. I don’t know the reasons for it. Maybe they felt like Miami’s offer is an offer they could beat. Maybe they want to drive the price of Miami’s offer up and don’t really have interest in him.”
It remains to be seen whether the Celtics are willing to meet the steep asking price it’d take to pry Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee.
But, Simmons once again stressed that the 31-year-old forward has made it clear he’d welcome a trade to a contending team in the East like Boston.
“Giannis is pushing for Miami or Boston,” Simmons added. “Those are the two locations and [he] really wants to end up in Boston because he would have the best chance to win a title. Boston is not ruling out the idea, is my intel. In general, I’m prepared for anything with Boston now.”
While the Heat have been linked to Giannis throughout this offseason, Simmons is not the only NBA writer who has signaled that the Celtics might be making a late push for the superstar.
“Rival teams, furthermore, continue to point to Boston’s various assets as illustrating its ability to become a factor here,” NBA writer Jake Fischer noted in his Substack on Thursday. “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.
“This much is clear: Boston is believed to be a potential suitor that genuinely concerns Miami.”
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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