Brian Windhorst was speaking to ESPN Cleveland on Wednesday when he made the remarks.
Speaking on Wednesday as part of a radio segment on ESPN Cleveland, ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst said he hasn't heard any real trade traction involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Boston Celtics.
"I know some people are linking him to Boston, I have not personally heard of Boston and Milwaukee serious about it. That's out there, I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but I haven't heard it."
But it wasn't just Windhorst, as Chris Haynes made similar comments on Sirius XM. He said that he hasn't heard of the Celtics being a destination from the Giannis side of things. Let's dive in a little deeper.
Where is Giannis at right now?
He's going into the final guaranteed year of his contract and is now 31 years old. He's going to be paid nearly $60 million in 2026-27 and has a player option just north of $60 million in 2027-28.
One of the best players in the league, he's dealt with health issues over the last few seasons. Antetokounmpo played in just 36 in this campaign, averaging 27.6 ppg and 9.8 rebounds.
He's played in 67 games or less in six of the last seven seasons, and missed the 2023-24 playoffs entirely as the No. 1 Bucks were upset by the No. 8 Miami Heat.
What are the pitfalls of an acquisition for Boston?
These are both fairly obvious:
1) Giannis leaves in free agency after one or two years, meaning the Celtics mortgaged things of real future value for a short-term player.
2) The Celtics sign him to a massive long-term deal, assuming risk on an already-injured player as he gets deeper into his 30s.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones (21) guards in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn ImagesDoes what Giannis wants actually matter?
Not really, and this is what's interesting. Haynes said that he hasn't really heard Boston mentioned from the Antetokounmpo camp, but that doesn't really matter.
Antetokounmpo doesn't have a no-trade clause, meaning the Bucks are not obligated to trade him where he wants to go. The Bucks have an obligation to do what's best for their franchise. If that means a deal with Boston, then great. If it means a deal somewhere else, then that's fine too.
Maybe the Bucks feel a sense of "wanting to do right" by a long-tenured star, but they are under no obligation to do so.
When will we get a resolution?
The Bucks have said that they want to have this resolved by the time the NBA Draft rolls around, which is June 23. That means we have about three weeks to start to get some real answers.
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