A pathway for the Celtics to commerce for Giannis Antetokounmpo

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst made each Celtics fan flip their head when he stated that Boston might enter the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes on ESPN’s Get Up immediately.

“The transfer for Giannis if he has management is to go to the East,” Windhorst stated. He later continued, “You must take a look at the groups that might make a commerce for Giannis that the Bucks would settle for and on the opposite aspect of the commerce would have a contending workforce. So, Boston could be on that listing.”

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 will commerce for Giannis with out being below the 2nd apron is Jayson Tatum as a result of he’s the one Celtic as a consequence of make greater than Giannis is subsequent season.

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

Due to this fact, as a way to make a Giannis commerce, they would want to get below the second apron first.

That leads us to Kristaps Porzingis. In the event you keep in mind in 2023, when the Celtics traded for Porzingis, the Utah Jazz had curiosity.

If Utah has curiosity once more, there may very well be a deal the place Boston might 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 challenge may very well be Milwaukee needs extra property than Boston is prepared to supply.

Consequently, the Celtics might 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 might 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 workforce just like the Wizards who might 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 in a position to 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, possibly they work one thing out to make the 2030 Golden State choose totally unprotected by Boston sending additional 2nd rounders within the deal to Washington.

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

Because the Celtics would stay over the primary apron, they might not be capable of 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 might simply connect one in all 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 may very well 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, just 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 really 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 solely 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 below the 2nd apron and so they added Moses Moody and Grant Williams as effectively.

It might be an superior workforce with a lot lineup flexibility.

In fact, then you need to think about 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 a whole lot of basketball. This workforce would have a really small window and it could very probably be closed by the point Tatum will get again.

For that motive, I don’t assume I’d go down this path if I used to be working the Celtics.

The window for that particular workforce could be so quick — one, possibly two years — and with out Tatum, it is extremely unlikely the Celtics would be capable of compete for a championship subsequent season.

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

Any deal for Antetokounmpo could be very complicated, very sophisticated and could be very unlikely. That doesn’t imply it’s unimaginable.