The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga has finally come to an end after months of speculation. It’s the Miami Heat who have won the race for Antetokounmpo, with the Milwaukee Bucks accepting their massive package headlined by Tyler Herro. The Boston Celtics were the other team in the mix, and NBA insider Kevin O’Connor shared a big reason why the Heat’s offer was preferred over theirs.
“Sources say Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam was a driving force in taking the Heat deal for Giannis over Boston’s offer,” O’Connor stated on X. “Haslam didn’t want to risk Jaylen Brown wanting out of Milwaukee in a year after dealing with Giannis and Myles Garrett trade demands. Haslam wanted certainty, and the Miami deal provided more of that with more total assets in return to Milwaukee.”
Jimmy Haslam and his wife, Dee, have held full ownership of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns since 2016, and they purchased 25% of the Bucks in 2023. They have had to deal with disgruntled superstars lately and wanted to avoid more drama.
Myles Garrett infamously requested a trade from the Browns on Feb. 3, 2025, but eventually ended up signing a four-year extension. That didn’t mean much, though, as Garrett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1, 2026. He didn’t ask for a trade this time around, but they moved him nonetheless.
As for Antetokounmpo, trade rumors were circulating for about a year before this deal was agreed on. The 10-time All-Star hadn’t handed in a trade request, but it was pretty clear he wasn’t happy with the situation he found himself in. The Bucks didn’t look like contenders in the 2024-25 season, and they then missed the playoffs in 2025-26. You knew this partnership was likely over after that.
Haslam had said back in May that a decision would be made about Antetokounmpo’s future before the 2026 NBA Draft, and that indeed proved to be the case. The 31-year-old and Bobby Portis were sent to the Heat for Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a pick swap in 2030, and a 2033 second-round pick.
Now, the Celtics were offering something the Heat weren’t: an actual star. Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks were what they were said to have put on the table, but Haslam appears to have been worried.
Marc J. Spears had previously reported that Brown did not want to play for the Bucks. That stance appeared to have changed over time, with Brian Windhorst reporting on First Take on Monday that he was seeing it as a chance to turn the page in his career.
Getting to lead his own team interested Brown, but Haslam wasn’t taking a risk. The five-time All-Star is now entering the third year of his five-year, $285 million contract. Haslam didn’t want a scenario where you get trade rumors flying around about Brown in 2027, when there are two years left on his deal. He played it safe, and you wonder if that was the right decision.
The Celtics Didn’t Want To Include Youngsters In Package For Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Bucks’ decision to accept the Heat’s offer was also made easier by the Celtics’ refusal to improve theirs. Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter that Boston didn’t want to give up youngsters and more draft capital for Antetokounmpo, who averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26.
“At this cycle here with the Draft, the Celtics offered Jaylen Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, and I’m told two unprotected first-round draft picks,” Charania said. “And so the hold up in those conversations ultimately became the Bucks wanted more assets. They wanted couple young players, Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, potentially others. They wanted more first-round picks, more swaps.
“But was there a middle ground to be had?” Charania continued. “But at the end of the day, my understanding is the Celtics were not willing to part with enough young players and assets to get a deal done. The offer stood as Jaylen Brown and a couple of first-round picks.”
The Celtics clearly believed they were giving up a big enough piece in Brown, who averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26, to get a deal done with just two first-round picks. You get the feeling they will regret not upping the offer, but it might not have mattered, considering Haslam’s fears.
