After a year of speculation, the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes is expected to conclude in the 2026 offseason, and maybe sooner rather than later.

Milwaukee  Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters that the team would like to reach a decision on the future of the former MVP ahead of the NBA draft in June. Could the Boston Celtics approach Milwaukee about a swap of superstars? 

Antetokounmpo, 31, wants to play for a team that is ready to compete for his second Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. And according to The Athletic's Sam Amick, it’s "widely believed" he'd prefer to play for an Eastern Conference team.

When looking at the Eastern Conference landscape, there are only a handful of teams that fit the bill for a potential trade: Boston, Detroit, and Cleveland. 

After the Celtics' stunning first-round exit in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, team president Brad Stevens figures to be aggressive in building the 2026-27 Boston roster in pursuit of a second championship in four years. Clutch Points' Brett Siegel reported this: "Rival front offices are already preparing for a big change to happen to the Celtics' roster this offseason." 

Roundtable's Brady Farkas detailed how a potential trade for Antetokounmpo would address the Celtics' need for more scoring inside the paint, but could create another problem for the team. One way to avoid that potential problem? Swap Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo in an all-time blockbuster. 

For any team interested in acquiring Antetokounmpo, the easiest path to doing so would be to move off a big-money contract to offset the $58.45-plus million that Antetokounmpo is due in the 2026-27 season. For Boston, the only two players that could potentially offset that cost in a one-for-one deal are Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum. 

Based on all available reporting, the Celtics are at least willing to consider any avenue to improve their team, including trading Brown. But a move for the two-time MVP is not without risk for Boston. 

As noted by NBC Sports Boston's Chris Mannix, Antetokounmpo has not been in the picture of health in recent years, missing time due to soft-tissue injuries. For a player in his early 30s, that should prompt pause within any potential acquiring organization. 

Brown, like most stars in the NBA, has missed games here and there to manage some smaller injuries, but nothing has risen to the level of Antetokounmpo's injury history

Stevens also will have to evaluate just where the relationship stands between Brown and the organization after last week's report from Tracy McGrady that there is deep-rooted frustration with the franchise from Brown's camp. 

It's not often that a multiple-time MVP like Antetokounmpo comes available on the trade market, so when he does, it is worth exploring. While an acquisition of Antetokounmpo is tantalizing on the surface, at what cost does it come?

The calculus Milwaukee will face when considering a trade for Antetokounmpo is whether to completely reset by targeting young players and draft capital to build around, or to acquire a new superstar who could help them return to the playoffs immediately. If they choose the latter, it's hard to imagine they'd get a better offer than a player like Brown, whom they know is capable of performing at an MVP level.

However, per Amick's reporting, Antetokounmpo is expected to "put his foot on the scale" for a deal with a team that he is interested in joining. After praising Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla in an April 6 press conference, it seems as though Antetokounmpo would be happy to join Mazzulla in Boston and force Milwaukee's hand in the process. 

The noise surrounding Brown and Antetokounmpo will continue to get louder until the Milwaukee brass make a decision on their superstar. And in the case of Brown, the chatter figures to continue beyond a potential Antetokounmpo trade, as the teams that miss out on a deal with the Bucks are sure to come calling the Celtics to check in on Brown's availability -- if he is still in Boston.

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