The Miami Heat want to make that big franchise-swinging trade this offseason. A few offseasons ago, the Heat were heavily interested in Damian Lillard and fell short. Last offseason, they showed interest in Kevin Durant and fell short again. Now, there's a player reportedly available in trade discussions who would be one of the biggest additions in the history of the franchise if Pat Riley is able to get it done. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is the big name of interest to join Miami this offseason. There are other names, such as Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, who are included in trade rumors as well but Antetokounmpo is the No. 1 option at the moment.
The idea of Antetokounmpo heading to Miami has been gaining even more steam over the past week but now, Bill Simmons is sharing that another team is showing interest. On a recent episode of his podcast, Simmons claims the Boston Celtics are now entering the hunt to acquire Antetokounmpo.
The Celtics have been the most dominant team in the East over the past few seasons. They were easily the best team in basketball throughout the 2023-24 season and won the NBA Finals that year. Then, in the first round of the 2024-25 playoffs, their star player, Jayson Tatum, suffered a torn Achilles that was expected to sideline him for most of, if not all, the 2025-26 campaign. Tatum came back to the lineup earlier than expected and the team had built a strong record prior to his return, cruising to a playoff spot.
Adding Antetokounmpo to that roster would be scary for the rest of the Eastern Conference. The only way a deal would presumably work out is if All-Star Jaylen Brown is included from the Celtics' side of the deal. However, it has been clear the Celtics don't want to move the wing. Without Brown, it a deal would be very hard to complete. The Celtics have some younger players with a decent amount of value such as Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman. However, would Milwaukee accept a deal centered around Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and picks? Probably not.
The Heat have seemingly been the public frontrunners to acquire Antetokounmpo but Celtics president Brad Stevens is always working and could hurt the Heat once again. If Miami can't land Antetokounmpo, they'll need to pivot to other options such as Leonard or Morant but adding a guy of Antetokounmpo's caliber immediately catapults the team's chances at getting back to the Finals.
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