A pathway for the Celtics to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst made each Celtics fan flip their head when he mentioned that Boston may enter the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes on ESPN’s Get Up in the present day.

“The transfer for Giannis if he has management is to go to the East,” Windhorst mentioned. He later continued, “It’s important to have a look at the groups that would make a commerce for Giannis that the Bucks would settle for and on the opposite aspect of the commerce would have a contending staff. So, Boston could be on that checklist.”

It’s tough for the Celtics to have the ability to full a transfer for Antetokounmpo due to the place they’re within the wage aprons. The one participant they’ll commerce for Giannis with out being beneath the 2nd apron is Jayson Tatum as a result of he’s the one Celtic attributable to make greater than Giannis is subsequent season.

When a staff is over the 2nd apron, they can’t purchase extra wage in a commerce than they’re sending out and so they additionally can not put two or extra salaries collectively in any commerce.

Due to this fact, in an effort to make a Giannis commerce, they would wish to get beneath the second apron first.

That leads us to Kristaps Porzingis. For those who keep in mind in 2023, when the Celtics traded for Porzingis, the Utah Jazz had curiosity.

If Utah has curiosity once more, there might be a deal the place Boston may ship Porzingis to the Jazz who ship John Collins to the Hornets who ship Grant Williams and Josh Okogie to the Celtics. That deal would save the Celtics $9 million and get them to $10 million over the 2nd apron.

One other difficulty might be Milwaukee needs extra property than Boston is keen to supply.

In consequence, the Celtics may commerce Derrick White to the Golden State Warriors for Buddy Hield, Moses Moody and first spherical picks in 2028, 2030 and 2032 (the 2030 choose is owed to the Wizards whether it is 21-30 as a result of Jordan Poole for Chris Paul commerce).

That saves the Celtics $7 million, so they might be nearly $3 million over the 2nd apron.

They then may take Hield and Okogie, connect the worst of their very own, the Spurs and the Warriors 2028 first spherical choose to commerce these guys to a staff just like the Wizards who may ship a top-55 protected 2nd spherical choose in return — like what Boston bought after they traded Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets.

The Wizards are capable of make this commerce as a result of they’ve the over $14 million non-tax payer mid-level exception plus a $9 million traded participant exception they bought within the Jonas Valančiūnas commerce they made with the Sacramento Kings.

If the Celtics and Wizards did do a commerce like that, perhaps they work one thing out to make the 2030 Golden State choose absolutely unprotected by Boston sending further 2nd rounders within the deal to Washington.

That saves the Celtics $16 million and will get them effectively beneath the 2nd apron so they might be capable to fill out their roster after the hypothetical Antetokoumpo commerce.

Because the Celtics would stay over the primary apron, they might not be capable to purchase extra wage in any commerce than they’re sending out. Thus, Jaylen Brown for Antetokoumpo wouldn’t be a authorized commerce as a result of Brown makes $1 million lower than Antetokoumpo.

The Celtics may simply connect certainly one of Jordan Walsh or Xavier Tillman and their $2 million wage, pending on what the Bucks consider Walsh. If the Bucks like Walsh, they may take him and if not, Tillman works simply the identical.

A deal might be Antetokoumpo for Brown, Walsh, the Celtics 2026 or 2027 first spherical choose, the Warriors 2030 first spherical choose (solely conveys whether it is 1-20), the Warriors 2032 first spherical choose and a 2031 choose swap by way of the Celtics. The 2026 or 2027 choose could be a alternative of what Milwaukee needs, much like what we noticed within the Anthony Davis to the Lakers commerce and the James Harden to the 76ers commerce.

Is the distinction between Jaylen and Giannis three first spherical picks and a swap? I feel it’s round there. I like Jaylen, however Antetokounmpo is a top-5 participant within the league. Pairing him with Tatum could be unbelievable.

It isn’t such as you’d be gutting the Celtics totally both. Gamers like Jrue Vacation, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard would nonetheless be on the roster, they may re-sign Al Horford and Luke Kornet with the brand new discovered wiggle room beneath the 2nd apron and so they added Moses Moody and Grant Williams as effectively.

It will be an superior staff with a lot lineup flexibility.

In fact, then you need to contemplate the truth that Tatum is out for if not all of subsequent season, most of subsequent season.

Horford and Vacation do not get any younger and Antetokounmpo has performed numerous basketball. This staff would have a really small window and it will very probably be closed by the point Tatum will get again.

For that purpose, I don’t suppose I might go down this path if I used to be working the Celtics.

The window for that particular staff could be so brief — one, perhaps two years — and with out Tatum, it is rather unlikely the Celtics would be capable to compete for a championship subsequent season.

I don’t suppose that the juice is definitely worth the squeeze for the Celtics had been to make a transfer like this.

Any deal for Antetokounmpo could be very complicated, very difficult and could be very unlikely. That doesn’t imply it’s not possible.