If the Boston Celtics are going to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, the likeliest, and perhaps only realistic way to land the star forward from the Milwaukee Bucks would be by offering Jaylen Brown in the proposal.
The Boston Herald's Zack Cox relayed the first part of the aforementioned statement, being that offering Brown is the likeliest path to a Greek Freak blockbuster involving the Celtics. Cox also might've created false hope with another proposal he feels is on the table for Boston, though: packaging Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and/or Payton Pritchard, plus picks.
"To take on a salary that large, the Celtics would essentially have two options: include Tatum or Brown in the trade, or package Derrick White together with Sam Hauser and/or Payton Pritchard. There surely will be a slew of other teams bidding for the 10-time All-Star, as well, so it’ll take a compelling offer to land him," Cox wrote.
Bucks won't accept any non-Jaylen Brown offer from Celtics
Boston doesn't have the White/Hauser/Pritchard option. Not unless there's a team out there that values White enough to send Milwaukee several first-round picks to take him, and would be willing to take on Myles Turner's contract as well. As valuable as Pritchard and Hauser's deals are, White isn't the type of player the Bucks are likely looking for to press the reset button with.
If Antetokounmpo explicitly stated he'd only sign an extension with the Cs, White's value would be able to carry a trade. The Bucks should have plenty of better options than a non-Brown trade proposal from Brad Stevens and co., though, since Antetokounmpo hasn't said anything of the sort.
For one, if the Houston Rockets wanted to pair a veteran star next to Kevin Durant under Ime Udoka, there are plenty of potential franchise pillars Milwaukee can ask for: Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, and Amen Thompson, to name a few. Houston can also include a bigger contract like Fred VanVleet's in a multi-team scenario to absorb Turner's contract.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, could cleanly pull off an Antetokounmpo-for-Evan Mobley swap and offer plenty of first-round picks. Mobley is further along than anyone on the Rockets besides Sengun. Mobley, unlike White, Hauser, and Pritchard, is the kind of player you could build around.
The New York Knicks, a team that the Greek native previously had an interest in, could offer Karl-Anthony Towns and be on a similar footing as the Cavs in trade talks. New York would be the team that gets Antetokounmpo's exclusive trade request if anyone were to get it. Truthfully, this is probably less of an option as the Knicks continue their run through the Eastern Conference bracket.
Still, Boston shouldn't expect to land the two-time MVP for anything short of their 1A star, Brown. It's a pie-in-the-sky possibility to believe anything different.
Add us as a preferred source on Google