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So, Giannis Antetokounmpo is taking his talents to South Beach after the Bucks and Heat agreed to a deal Monday night ahead of the NBA Draft. ESPN’s Shams Sharania reported that the Celtics were finalists in the Greek Freak sweepstakes ultimately offering Jaylen Brown and two first round picks. Also according to Shams, Boston was not willing to include young players like Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, etc. as part of the package. Milwaukee’s Jon Horst went with Miami’s grab bag of multiple players and picks instead.
Now, the question is what level of fallout could there be with Brown again resurfacing in trade talks. Back in 2022, his name came up in a potential blockbuster deal for then Brooklyn Net Kevin Durant. Since then, he’s been a Finals MVP in 2024 and a MVP candidate last season in Jayson Tatum’s absence with an Achilles tear.
You have to assume that there was constant communication between Stevens, the front office, and Brown during this entire negotiation for Antetokounmpo, but you also have to wonder if bridges might have been burned that can’t be rebuilt. Time will tell.
The Celtics won’t have a lot of time to regroup with the draft tonight and free agency starting next week though. What’s their next course of action?
