The rumor mill is spinning.
The Boston Celtics blew a 3-1 first-round lead to the Philadelphia 76ers and went home despite finishing 56-26 on the season.
A collapse like that tends to generate offseason trade talk, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting in Milwaukee on a Bucks team that went 32-50 and missed the playoffs entirely, the obvious question became whether Boston would make a run at the two-time MVP.
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer does not seem to think so, and his reasoning touches on issues from both sides that make this whole thing feel unlikely.
"The Celtics have come out and said that they love Jaylen Brown and that they feel good about him," Fischer said during a Bleacher Report live stream. "I do know that Boston made a call to the Bucks before February's trade deadline, but I do not think Boston ever loomed as a very serious suitor, and until I hear otherwise, I don't think they're necessarily going to be either."
Boston's Interest
That pre-deadline call to Milwaukee sounds like it was a temperature check and nothing more.
Fischer has reported separately that the Celtics expressed only "cursory interest" in Antetokounmpo, who put up 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in 36 games this season before injuries shut him down.
It was not just Boston's lack of seriousness that stood out to Fischer, though.
He also said he never got the sense that Antetokounmpo himself was moved by the idea of joining the Celtics.
The Knicks, on the other hand, have been a real point of curiosity for the former MVP going back months.
Why This Deal Falls Apart
Say the Celtics did get serious.
The trade still probably does not come together, because what Milwaukee wants and what Boston can offer do not really line up.
Any package from the Celtics would almost certainly start with Jaylen Brown, who averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists while carrying Boston as their go-to scorer all year.
The problem is the Bucks may not want Brown.
Fischer has suggested a third team might need to get involved just to reroute him somewhere else, because Milwaukee's front office is reportedly focused on getting back their own draft picks.
The Portland Trail Blazers control the Bucks' first-round selections from 2028 through 2030, and league sources say Milwaukee would rather recoup those picks than take on another max contract.
Brown has also said multiple times that he wants to stay in Boston long term, which complicates things further for a team that would be acquiring him.
Boston's offseason is going to be a fascinating one regardless.
Brown is eligible for a two-year extension worth $142 million in July, and teams across the league are already watching his situation closely.
Whether that leads to an Antetokounmpo trade or something else entirely, Fischer's reporting suggests Boston is not the landing spot most people assume it is.