The Portland Trail Blazers are currently far behind the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes. They were prepared to offer up to four first-round picks to acquire the Milwaukee Bucks superstar at February's trade deadline, but are no longer willing to go to that extreme.
Portland still wants to go star hunting this summer, especially with the arrival of aggressive new owner Tom Dundon. However, they aren't going to sacrifice their promising future for a myopic move, as landing Giannis runs the risk of a one-year rental without assurance of a long-term commitment.
As Sam Amick of The Athletic recently mentioned, Portland could shift its focus to facilitating a Giannis trade to Boston, hoping to come away with Jaylen Brown as the consolation prize.
"Speaking of Plan Bs, league sources say the Portland Trail Blazers would have serious interest in Brown if the Celtics made him available. The Blazers have been among the suitors for Antetokounmpo since the February trade deadline but appear to be on the outside looking in at the moment."
Blazers can steal Jaylen Brown by facilitating a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to the Celtics
According to Amick, the Celtics would have to include Brown in any potential package for Antetokounmpo. He adds that Boston would ideally like to do a one-for-one swap of stars, though it's considered unlikely for that to be enough for Milwaukee to sign off on the deal.
As of now, the Celtics' direct competition for Antetokounmpo appears to be the Heat. Miami is expected to keep Bam Adebayor off-limits, but they can still offer up to four first-round picks, with a rumored package including Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kel'el Ware.
There's a reason Milwaukee hasn't sent Giannis to his preferred destination of Miami up until this point. They are hoping to decide on Antetokounmpo before the draft, but continue to canvass the league, as that's not a very exciting offer to jumpstart a rebuild.
If Boston is willing to do so, it can outbid Miami by including Brown and up to three future first-round picks. At 29 years old, Brown isn't a great fit for a rebuilding timeline either, but he's a more established asset that can be a stepping stone for the Bucks to get their future picks back from the Blazers.
This has all the makings of a three-team trade in which everyone benefits. The Blazers get a legitimate star in Brown, who is under contract through 2028-29. The Celtics get a top-five player in the world in Antetokounmpo, which would immediately make them a favorite in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks can dig themselves out of the hole they've made with each desperate move to keep Giannis up until this point.
With Giannis' interest in Boston, Portland's interest in Brown, and Milwaukee's desire to get their picks back, everything could be aligning for a summer blockbuster. The primary thing preventing Giannis from going to Boston is whether the Celtics are willing to pull the trigger. Hopefully, they will do so, allowing the Blazers to come away with a star of their own.
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