There's been a ton of talk about whether the Boston Celtics should actually pursue a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. And while some of it is valid (Boston's roster is not good enough to compete for a championship as is), the cons outweigh the pros, and the team is better off just moving away from trying to acquire the two-time MVP.
And in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, former Celtics champion and the team's current color commentator, Brian Scalabrine, explained why there are concerns about them possibly making this trade.
“The game has changed a lot,” Scalabrine said. “I think shooting is a premium. It has to happen. Defensively, he obviously is a beast especially guarding the rim. There’s some versatility there but you have to wonder about the injury history. He missed some games this year. He pulled up limp with the calf. You wonder if you get your team and your medical and strength and conditioning can kind of solve that issue because nothing is worse than a $60 million two-time MVP who only plays half the season."
"Everyone that is interested in trading for Giannis, the big concern will always be, can he stay healthy? This is not just this year. In the past in the playoffs, he hasn’t done well. He is 1-9 in his last 10 playoff games. Some of those he’s missed and some of the games he’s missed, and some of the games he’s missed, his team has won. There’s not like a for sure, you’re trading for the MVP of five years ago. You are trading for a guy who has some damage so it’s going to be really interesting what people are willing to give up.”
The Celtics shouldn't trade Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Sure, it's fair to say that Antetokounmpo is still at least a top-five player in the game today when healthy. And yes, he is better than Brown is. But at the same time, it's important to remember that the Greek native isn't the same guy he was when he led the Milwaukee Bucks to a title in 2021. He's not even the same guy he was two or three years ago.
Antetokounmpo is still an athletic beast and is a legitimate threat to get to the basket every time he has the ball. He is also a top-tier defender, and his playmaking skills would make him a real asset next to Jayson Tatum in Boston.
He is also turning 32 years old in December, played 36 games this past season, has calf and knee problems that are only getting worse, and can't shoot. His defense and athleticism will slip eventually, and given that he doesn't have an outside game, it's fair to assume that his best days are comfortably behind him.
And to trade Brown, who still likely has at least another four to five years of elite basketball in his future, to get him just seems like an inevitable disaster waiting to happen.
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