Before the 2025 NBA Playoffs started, the Boston Celtics weren’t viewed as a possible suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, all that changed following Jayson Tatum’s injury and the Celtics’ shocking second-round loss to the Knicks.
With Tatum expected to miss most of the 2025-26 season, the Celtics could try to keep their championship hopes alive by trading for Antetokounmpo. Multiple insiders believe the C’s have the requisite draft capital and players to pull off such a deal.
Sporting News’ Colin Keane proposed a three-team deal involving the Nets.
Celtics would receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pat Connaughton
Bucks would receive: Jaylen Brown, Nic Claxton, 2031 first-rounder (BOS)
Nets would receive: Kristaps Porzingis, 2027 first-rounder (BOS)
Keane explained why the proposed Celtics trade would extend their championship window for several more years.
“Not only would this trade make the Celtics NBA Finals favorites based on a new, absurd core of Jayson Tatum, Giannis, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday, the deal would also save Boston money,” he wrote.
“The Celtics would be a first apron team after this trade happened. (Full disclosure: CBA rules prevent second apron teams from aggregating contracts, so Boston would have to use a loophole to trade both Brown and Porzingis, perhaps by breaking this deal into two separate trades).”
Should Celtics Trade Jaylen Brown?
It’s hard to foresee the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP and hero of their 2024 NBA title win.
However, Brown’s own injury issues—he played through a torn meniscus in the 2025 NBA playoffs—have sparked speculation about his future in Beantown.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger is convinced the Celtics could extract a huge haul in return for Brown.
“The other avenue, we must whisper, is asking Boston about Jaylen Brown,” Hollinger wrote on May 13. “Brown is a much easier positional fit next to [Anthony] Davis and [Dereck] Lively, but he’s owed $236 million over the next four seasons, and the Celtics’ roster gets frighteningly expensive next season.
“Would Boston mind resetting around a New England native [in Flagg] and waiting out a gap year if Tatum needs it to recover? For that matter, would Dallas do this unless it also had considerable capital coming back in addition to Brown?”
Celtics’ Goals Have Not Changed
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons also believes the time is right for the Celtics to move on from Brown and rebuild the roster around Tatum.
Despite Tatum’s catastrophic injury, the Celtics’ expectations to compete for NBA championships have not changed. In his exit interview on May 19, Celtics front-office boss Brad Stevens made it that his team won’t treat the 2025-26 season like a gap year and would continue to compete for Banner No. 19.
“The reality is we have a ton of good players,” Stevens said.
“And everyone leans on everyone. That said, Jaylen and Jayson have gotten the majority of attention because of how good they are. And I have full faith that any game that you have those guys on the court — or one of those guys on the court — you have a great shot. And so, I have full faith in Jaylen.”
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