NBA Trade Rumors: Mock deal sends Giannis Antetokounmpo to Celtics, Bucks choose to contend with $382.3M duo 

The Boston Celtics have been floated as a potential suitor to land Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, should they choose to contend. The Bucks still have Damian Lillard and other pieces on the roster, who might be difficult to move, and staying competitive with another bona fide All-Star might be the way to go.

Trading for Giannis could deplete several teams, and it would be just another rebuild situation for the two-time MVP, who, at 30, has a limited window to win championships in his prime. Insider Brian Windhorst, who laid out the realistic possibility of Giannis preferring a move to an Eastern Conference contender, believes the Celtics have what it takes to negotiate a deal with Milwaukee.

"You have to look at the teams that could make a trade for Giannis that the Bucks would accept and on the other side of the trade would have a contending team," Windhorst said on ESPN's Get Up show on Thursday. "So, Boston would be on that list."

The Bucks wouldn't directly engage with the Celtics, but if that's one team Giannis Antetokounmpo lists as a potential destination and remains hellbent on it, there's a way a deal could be worked out for both teams.

The Celtics are a second-round team, so they can't aggregate contracts to match salaries. However, a scenario where a third team gets involved allows the deal to go through.

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NBA Trade Rumors: How Giannis Antetokounmpo can land on Celtics at Jaylen Brown's expense

One of the biggest and presumably obvious candidates to make way for Giannis Antetokounmpo to join the Boston Celtics would be Jaylen Brown. He earns almost the same salary as the Bucks' superstar next year at $53.1 million. Giannis will earn $54.1 million, so a direct trade remains out of reach.

However, the Celtics have movable contracts and potentially the picks that satisfy the Bucks in a trade. They would require a third team in this scenario, and that's the Brooklyn Nets. According to The Athletic, the Nets are open to facilitating trades and collecting assets for unwanted contracts this offseason.

"There are signs Brooklyn could be willing to use its open cap space as a vehicle to execute multi-team trade scenarios this summer, league sources said," The Athletic's report suggested.

The Bucks and Celtics have expiring contracts, which the Nets won't mind acquiring for picks because of their cap space situation. Here's how a potential three-team deal could look, opening the pathway for Giannis Antetokounmpo to land on the Celtics and Jaylen Brown heading to the Bucks:

Celtics get

• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Maxwell Lewis

Bucks get

• Jaylen Brown
• Nicolas Claxton
• 2025 first-round pick #28 (via Celtics)
• 2025 second-round pick #32 (via Celtics)
• 2026 first-round pick swap (via Celtics)
• 2027 first-round pick (via Celtics)

Nets get

• Kristaps Porzingis
• Bobby Portis
• Pat Connaughton
• 2025 second-round pick #47 via Detroit (from Bucks)
• 2031 first-round pick (via Celtics)

The Bucks secure two first-round picks and an early second-round pick from this year's draft from the Bucks, along with a 2026 pick swap. The Celtics trade a 2031 first-round pick to the Nets to facilitate Milwaukee's Nicolas Claxton addition. With Brook Lopez unlikely to return, Claxton could be the Bucks' long-term fix at the center position.

Presuming that Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton opt into their contracts this offseason, the Nets absorb their expiring contracts, along with a trade asset like Kristaps Porzingis, for picks. Porzingis also has one year left on his deal.

The Celtics get under the second apron by $7.5 million after reducing their cap by $27.5 million. The Bucks acquire a proven performer in Jaylen Brown, who gets to lead his own team after playing as a second-fiddle behind Jayson Tatum. The Bucks acquire picks for future trades or internal development and get slightly younger with Brown, 28.