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Celtics Get Huge Update On Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade From Bucks Owner originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Milwaukee Bucks introduced their new head coach on Wednesday, and co-owner Jimmy Haslam spoke on Giannis Antetokounmpo's future. The Celts have been identified as a potential landing spot for him if he is traded.
NBA insider Marc Stein tabbed the Celtics a team to keep an "eye on" in the Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes on Monday. In April, The Athletic's Sam Amick also called the Celtics a potential suitor for the two-time MVP. Trade rumors about Antetokounmpo have been flying for over a year, but he has noted publicly that he has not requested a trade.
However, Giannis has noted that he knows the NBA is a business and that the Bucks can choose to trade him. He has not publicly requested a trade, and the Bucks have not publicly made him available. However, on Wednesday, Haslam spoke about potentially parting ways with Antetokounmpo, marking a monumental moment in trade rumors surrounding him.
“Listen, Giannis has brought Milwaukee its second championship and the first in 50 years,” Haslam told reporters, per The Athletic's Eric Nehm. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a phenomenal person. He’s arguably one of the best basketball players in the world, and we will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization.
“We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign an extension this offseason. Obviously, if he does that, it's pretty much a guarantee that he will remain with the Bucks. That is very much a possibility if he thinks the team is close to being a contender. However, Haslam, for the first time, acknowledged that he may be playing elsewhere and laid out a timeline for when the team would like to figure things out.
“I just think before the draft is a natural time,” Haslam said during a smaller scrum after the news conference, per The Athletic. “Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, we oughta get a lot of assets, and that’s Jon’s job to do it. If he’s here, then you build the team differently.”
It sounds like the Bucks and Antetokounmpo will collaborate to figure out what is best for both sides. The Bucks would obviously like to keep Giannis, but he may not want to wait around for a rebuild. Judging by Haslam's comments, it sounds like the Bucks will trade him if he asks, but they are putting the ball in his court.
If he wants to leave Milwaukee, the Celtics would need to put together a huge package to land him. The Celtics are committed to winning a championship, which is something Antetokounmpo wants, and they have another superstar in Jayson Tatum. Now that the Bucks have acknowledged the chance of Antetokounmpo leaving, every front office will be monitoring the situation closely.
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