The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga may finally be reaching an end. ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting that the MVP-level forward is likely to be traded before the 2026 NBA Draft, which commences tomorrow. Charania also indicates that the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are the finalists in contention for Antetokounmpo’s services.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded before the start of the NBA draft Tuesday, with the Celtics and Heat emerging as finalists to land the Bucks superstar, sources
told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Bucks have been engaged in serious trade talks with the Celtics and the Heat, sources told Charania, and are weighing significantly different offers for Antetokounmpo.
Boston’s offer is centered around multi-time All-Star Jaylen Brown. Per Charania, Miami us offering “cost-controlled players and significant draft capital”.
The Brown deal may be of some interest to Portland, as it’s been rumored that Milwaukee would not want to keep the 29-year-old forward. Charania indicates that a third team is not likely to be involved in the deal for now:
The Bucks are not expected to include a third team in an Antetokounmpo trade, according to sources, and are focused solely on negotiating with the Celtics and Heat.
NBA trade rules do not allow a team to “flip” a player acquired in trade immediately if they add other outgoing players into the deal, but it’s worth noting that Brown could be traded in a separate deal at any time as long as his salary is not aggregated with other contracts from Milwaukee’s side.
