You might not want to hear it, but the Boston Celtics were right not to include Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and whatever young players the Milwaukee Bucks were asking for in their Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Milwaukee ultimately sent the two-time MVP to the Miami Heat, partially because of the Celtics' decision not to include Gonzalez and Scheierman in their trade package, which was centered around Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks.
“The Bucks wanted more assets. They wanted a couple young players: Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, potentially others. They wanted more first-round picks, more swaps… At the end of the day, my understanding is the Celtics were not willing to part with enough young players and assets to get a deal done,” Charania said.
"The Celtics were not willing to part with enough young players and assets to get a deal done."@ShamsCharania says Boston offered Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo before he was traded to Miami 👀 pic.twitter.com/WvGCveMwjE
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 23, 2026
The Celtics were right to hold on to Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez
Trading Brown for Antetokounmpo on its own would have been a risky move for Boston. Antetokounmpo is obviously better, and there was a lot to like about his hypothetical fit alongside Jayson Tatum, but he's almost 32 years old with a lingering calf issue (he missed the entire 2024 playoffs due to a calf strain, and he played in just 36 games last season due to several injuries, which included multiple calf strains).
Say what you will about Brown. He can be frustrating at times, but he's durable, still has at least five or six elite years of basketball left, and has proven he can win a championship in Boston.
Splitting the Jays up doesn't make much sense, so doing that and having to trade draft picks and some depth pieces (including Gonzalez, who the Celtics are clearly high on) is a risk not worth taking, especially for someone who might be broken down by the time his new contract even kicks in.
Scheierman and Gonzalez stand out for two different reasons. They both play with a ton of energy and make hustle plays, but one is a much more dependable shooter/scorer with incredible playmaking and passing abilities (Scheierman), and the other is a defensive demon who can already go toe-to-toe with some of the league's best wings at 20 years old (Gonzalez).
They both have a spot on this Celtics roster now and for the long haul. Are they collectively better than Giannis? Obviously not. But they each bring some real value in Boston, and they should only get better from here.
Add us as a preferred source on Google