The Boston Celtics will have to navigate most, if not all, of the 2025-26 campaign with Jayson Tatum, as the 6-foot-8 NBA champion is recovering from a brutal Achilles injury.
However, the franchise should feel decent about its chances of reaching the postseason with Jaylen Brown assuming a bulk of the offensive responsibilities.
According to Fansided’s Matt Moore, though, Boston could benefit in the long run by trading Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for a generational 6-foot-11 superstar forward.
“Obviously, Jaylen Brown is the best player in any of these packages that the Bucks can get back,” Moore wrote last Monday. “A good-to-great player, in his prime, on a long-term contract.
“It would be painful for the Celtics to make this trade (Brown, Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, Xavier Tillman, and two first-round picks to the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner, and Bobby Portis), to the point where it’s unlikely they do because of how much they value him.”
“But Boston gets to instantly reorganize their future. It’s now Tatum coming back from the Achilles with Derrick White and Giannis. That’s your core for the next four years. The Bucks get their center position shored up with Turner, shifting from wings to bigs while still keeping the ability to play four-out.”
Antetokounmpo won’t be a part of the Bucks’ organization for much longer if the uneventful postseasons continue.
Antetokounmpo is a phenomenal talent and wants to maximize his prime before age begins to catch up with him (which happens to most standout NBA contributors).
An uncompetitive start to the year could lead to a change of scenery for the future Hall of Famer, allowing the Celtics to enter the picture.
Although Antetokounmpo wouldn’t get to share the floor with Tatum immediately, he could take solace in the fact that his future in Boston would be bright with a Top 15-20 player by his side moving forward.
It’ll be interesting to see how Antetokounmpo’s season with the Bucks begins.
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