In the wake of losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Boston Celtics have questions to answer.

But is acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that answer?

It's something that people are certainly talking about, with prior reports indicating the Celtics could be in his market this offseason. The Jones & Keefe Show on WEEI was also discussing it on Tuesday, so this is a storyline that will continue to get traction. 

Let's take a look at some of the layers to this potential deal and what it could all mean.

Well, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks appear to be in a bit of a bad place. First off, the team struggled mightily, going 32-50 this season and missing the playoffs. That ended a streak of eight straight years in the postseason.

Furthermore, Milwaukee has seen its win total decrease each of the last three seasons since winning 58 games in 2022-23.

Part of the reason for that? Antetokounmpo has spent some injured, playing 67 games or less in six of the last seven regular seasons. He played in just 36 in this campaign, averaging 27.6 ppg and 9.8 rebounds.

He also missed the 2023-24 playoffs because of injury as the No. 1 Bucks were beaten by the No. 8 Miami Heat.

Furthermore, the Bucks have taken big swings on the trade market, inflating their payroll with the likes of Damian Lillard and Myles Turner, only to see those moves not work out. Milwaukee has an aging and expensive roster, and they also don't have many draft picks. For them, the only way out of this might to move on from Antetokounmpo.

The frustration seems to have grown in recent months as Antetokounmpo claimed he was healthy enough to play at the end of the season, but the Bucks wouldn't play him.

Antetokounmpo is under contract for one more guaranteed season at more than $58 million. He has a player option for 2027-28 at more than $62 million.

Because Antetokounmpo is owed so much money, the Celtics would have to move significant salary to even out the deal, in addition to sending over multiple draft picks.

The Celtics presumably won't want to move Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown in a deal for Antetokounmpo, so they'd have to get creative with the rest of their roster. As noted by the Spotrac trade simulator, a trade of Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser doesn't even make the money work, and Boston would have to send a fourth player to make the trade pass.

Again, this would come in addition to the draft picks that Milwaukee will want.

Well, the Celtics would end up with the best big three in the league, if it can stay healthy. If the Celtics want to make a serious run at a championship, this would give them the star power to be able to do it. It's really that simple.

Well, there's a few of them:

If the Celtics trade for Antetokounmpo and sign him to a long-term extension, they'll end up with three players with at least nine years of experience signed to massive, long-term deals. Antetokounmpo is going to be 32. Brown is going to be 30. Tatum will be 29 toward the end of next season.

Even as good as the three players are, you risk having them get injured or depreciate as they age, which is exactly why Milwaukee is in the situation it's in right now.

If the Celtics don't sign Antetokounmpo to a long-term deal and have him for just one or two years, then they'll end up wondering if sacrificing all they did, including future value out of the draft, will have been worth it for such a short window.

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