The Miami Heat are going all in on Giannis Antetokounmpo, and reports continue to indicate that they are the frontrunners to acquire him in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, rumors linking him to the Boston Celtics are beginning to pick up, which could cause some problems for the Heat.
If there’s a team that can outbid Miami for Antetokounmpo, it’s Boston, and he has long been interested in teaming up with Jayson Tatum and Joe Mazzulla. For weeks, the C’s interest in Antetokounmpo has been tepid at best, but it seems like they are now willing to make a deal for him, which has one Heat insider fearing the worst.
Heat Insider Believes Celtics Are Making a Play for Giannis Antetokounmpo
For years, Miami has been linked to a move for a superstar player, but every time, it has come up short. This time around, though, things have felt different. For months, the Heat have had their sights set on Antetokounmpo, and with several other suitors no longer a part of the picture, this feels like their race to lose.
And yet, no matter how many times a new report emerges suggesting Miami is the frontrunner for Antetokounmpo’s services, the rumors linking him to Boston won’t go away. That’s due in large part to his admiration for the C’s, but they also have the ability to put together a better trade package. That depends, in large part, on whether or not the team is willing to trade Jaylen Brown.
Another guy whose name has popped up in trade rumors this offseason, Brown is viewed as the key to these trade talks, not because Milwaukee wants him, but because it could use him to loop in a third team and get a bigger return for Antetokounmpo. According to Heat insider Ira Winderman, the Celtics are reportedly OK with giving up Brown in exchange for Antetokounmpo, which has led the Bucks to look for a third team that is willing to acquire Boston’s star forward.
“I think Boston not only is back in it, but I think Milwaukee right now is simply trying to find a third team for Jaylen Brown,” Winderman said on “The Joe Rose Show.” “I’ve been told possibly Atlanta. I’ve been told possibly New Orleans … That’s very real.”
Heat May Miss Out on Another Big-Name Star
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is a trade target for the Boston Celtics
If this is true, it’s a pretty tough pill for the Heat to swallow. After years of watching stars land elsewhere, Miami has finally found a guy it wants. The problem is that it simply may not have the firepower to compete with Boston if it really wants Antetokounmpo. Not only would missing out on Antetokounmpo hurt, but seeing him go to one of their top rivals in the C’s would truly sting the Heat.
Again, reports indicate that Miami is still in charge of the race to land Antetokounmpo, but with the rumors linking him to Boston continuing to pick up steam, this appears to be headed in a worrying direction. The Heat certainly aren’t out of this yet, but if the Celtics are truly intent on acquiring Antetokounmpo, that may be a death sentence for Miami.
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