The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to explore trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. While they can put together a competitive offer with the Milwaukee Bucks' future draft capital, Portland is only willing to pull the trigger on a Giannis blockbuster if they can get a long-term commitment. That certainly complicates things, making it more likely they facilitate a multi-team deal that would see Giannis land in a bigger market.
While the New York Knicks are likely considered the favorite, don't count out the Boston Celtics.
Celtics are a team to watch in the Giannis sweepstakes
Following a disappointing first-round playoff exit at the hands of Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston is expected to be "aggressive" this offseason, NBA insider Marc Stein mentioned on his SiriusXM radio show "Deals and Dunks." Most importantly for Portland, Stein names Boston as a team to "keep an eye on" in the Giannis sweepstakes.
While the Bucks would likely have interest in acquiring a star piece like Jaylen Brown directly, it would be more strategic for them to embrace a full-on roster teardown in a post-Giannis era. To effectively rebuild, however, they would need to recoup those picks from Portland.
Meanwhile, Brown is the exact star piece this Blazers roster is desperately searching for, making this a hypothetical multi-team trade that benefits everyone.
Brown is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. This was expected to be a gap year for a Celtics team that ducked the tax and saw itself without Jayson Tatum for the majority of the season. They exceeded those expectations in the regular season, securing the second seed with a 56-26 record.
Brown is the exact two-way star this Blazers team needs, and has already proven capable of winning at the highest level as a go-to option. Deni Avdija has taken huge strides this season, but the playoffs exposed Portland's limited ceiling, given its relative lack of star power.
Jaylen Brown is the two-way star Portland needs
With Damian Lillard's return and someone of Brown's caliber in the picture, Portland would have a legitimate shot at a top-four seed in the stacked Western Conference. A potential starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan would have much better roster balance than this season, when Portland struggled to generate consistent offense.
The Blazers are optimistic that the Lillard-Holiday backcourt pairing will work, given Holiday's versatility and ability to complement Lillard as more of a two-way player. Adding another two-way star in Brown would further bolster Portland's defensive identity, giving them yet another piece to compensate for Lillard's limitations on that end.
That's something Portland previously lacked in Lillard's first stint, but has done a much better job of addressing this time around, in large part thanks to the assets landed in the Lillard trade with Milwaukee. But Portland still has yet to cash in its most valuable chips: those Bucks draft picks that suddenly look more valuable than ever.
If they can't get Giannis directly, Brown would be the ideal consolation prize. Portland would likely have to sacrifice more young assets in a package, whether that's Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, or even Toumani Camara. Assuming they prioritize keeping Holiday, Jerami Grant would likely be the odd man out as the salary filler as well.
It would be a steep price, but worthwhile as they wouldn't have to mortgage their entire future. That's the exact type of package Joe Cronin signaled openness to in his exit interview.
Who that star ultimately is for Portland remains to be seen. But with Boston reportedly having interest in Giannis, Brown could be the answer to the Blazers' dire star problem.
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