The Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers — a franchise first in Boston history — lost Game 7 without Jayson Tatum, and Brad Stevens’ front office apparently responded by picking up the phone to Milwaukee. Shams Charania reported that the Celtics “checked in” and “made a call” on Giannis Antetokounmpo, with interest that’s “expected to carry into this offseason.” That’s not a plan. That’s a panic attack with a salary cap.
To be precise about what Shams actually said: Boston was in the lower tier of interested teams. Minnesota and Miami had more extensive conversations with Milwaukee. The Celtics were in a group alongside Cleveland, the Lakers, and the Knicks — teams that “checked in,” not teams that made real offers. So before we act like Stevens is already putting Jaylen Brown in a Bucks jersey, let’s calibrate. This is preliminary contact. What it tells us is less about the trade and more about the mindset driving the call in the first place.
The Panic Move Brad Stevens Must Avoid
Giannis Antetokounmpo is 31 years old and missed 32 games in 2025-26 — a career high. The injury log reads like a training staff’s nightmare: right calf strain, right calf sprain, hyperextended left knee with a bone bruise, then a second left calf strain in the final weeks. He still averaged 27.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in the 36 games he played, which is why this conversation exists. But the durability question isn’t a footnote. It’s the entire argument. Soft tissue injuries in a 31-year-old don’t get better. They accumulate.
Shams Charania broke the original report last week:
Just in: Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis have started conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP's future – and discussing whether his best fit is staying or elsewhere, sources tell ESPN. A resolution is expected in the coming weeks. pic.twitter.com/NfrpL2Ffvr
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2025
Stevens needs to hear the fine print — “checked in” is not a plan, and a player who missed 32 games last year isn’t the answer to a roster that just needs its best player healthy.
Because that’s the reported package — Brown ($57.07M) plus picks, which salary-matches almost perfectly against Giannis’s $58.45M for next season. Brown, who averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this year. Brown, who put up 25.7 points per game in the playoffs. Brown, who the Celtics specifically chose not to trade for Kevin Durant in 2023 — a decision that led directly to the 2024 championship. Now, less than two years after winning a title with that exact logic, the front office is being tempted to reverse it for a player with a longer injury list and a shorter runway.
Tatum Is the Foundation — Not the Problem
The thing that got lost in the 3-1 collapse noise: Tatum wasn’t healthy for most of it. He returned from Achilles surgery in early March, played 16 regular-season games, and was ruled out of Game 7 — not during the game, but two hours before tipoff — because his knee wasn’t right. The Celtics lost Game 7, 109-100, without their best player while still in a return-to-play protocol from one of the most serious surgeries in basketball. That’s not a roster indictment. That’s a fluke with a specific medical cause.
A fully healthy Tatum, in year two of his Achilles recovery, with a real offseason to rebuild conditioning, is not a team that needs to gut its core. It’s a team that needs patience and smart additions. Stevens himself said after the elimination that the Celtics need “more of an impact at the rim” — a real need, but one you can address with a targeted big man acquisition, not by blowing up the backcourt.
Look at the team one borough over. The Knicks are in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals built entirely around Jalen Brunson — no blockbuster trade, no desperate star-chasing, just a commitment to the guy they identified and the system they built around him. Meanwhile, every time Boston hits a rough stretch, the instinct is to reach for the next shiny object. The Nets tried that with Durant, Kyrie, and Harden. Three stars, zero rings, a franchise that spent four years recovering.
Brad Stevens is smarter than this. The question is whether the noise gets to him first.