NBA Rumors: Celtics Could Send Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, & Marcus Smart To Bucks For Giannis Antetokounmpo
Though the 2019-20 NBA season is still far from over, several teams are already closely monitoring the current situation of reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo has yet to show any indication that he’s no longer happy in Milwaukee, but once they fail to reach an agreement regarding a massive contract extension, most people believe that the Bucks will be forced to make the “Greek Freak” available on the trade market in the offseason. One of the teams who could express strong interest in acquiring Antetokounmpo from the Bucks is the Boston Celtics.
Having Danny Ainge as their general manager and president of basketball operations, the Celtics are often mentioned as a potential destination whenever a legitimate superstar becomes available on the trade market. The Celtics don’t have many draft picks to offer, but according to ClutchPoints, they could still come up with an interesting trade package that can convince the Bucks to engage in a blockbuster deal in the offseason.
In the proposed trade deal, the Celtics would be sending a trade package that includes Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Marcus Smart to the Bucks in exchange for Antetokounmpo.
“The Celtics have likewise been mentioned as a potential destination for Giannis. Boston does not have any picks to offer, so they will need to give up some of their key pieces to bring Antetokounmpo to Beantown from the Bucks. Jayson Tatum is as untouchable as one can get, so Jaylen Brown is the only next logical choice. The C’s will need to also throw in former All-Star Gordon Hayward, and perhaps the tenacious Marcus Smart as well. In this scenario, the Bucks will build around Brown as their centerpiece for the next few years.”
Before pushing through with the trade, the Celtics would first need to convince Hayward to opt into his $34 million player option for the 2020-21 season. Though none of those players are as good as Antetokounmpo, acquiring Brown, Hayward, and Smart isn’t bad at all for the Bucks, especially if they are still planning to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Brown, Hayward, and Smart are all reliable contributors on both ends of the floor and could help the Bucks keep their status as a legitimate title contender in the Eastern Conference.
Brown would give the Bucks a young and promising talent that they could build around in the post-Antetokounmpo era, while Hayward and Smart would provide a positive locker room presence and could help in the development of some of Milwaukee’s young players. With their performance in the 2019-20 season, trading Brown, Hayward, and Smart would undeniably be a tough decision for the Celtics.
However, if the returning piece would be a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, Ainge would no longer think twice before sending all of them to Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo is currently one of the best players in the league. Pairing him with Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker would enable the Celtics to create their own “Big Three” that would boost their chances of dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA championship.
