NBA: 'Real Reason' Boston Celtics Weren't Able to Land Giannis Antetokounmpo

Alongside being a huge Liverpool fan, Patrick also enjoys the pace of F1, the science of boxing, and the entertainment of WWE. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Late yesterday evening, the 22nd of June, we saw the news that the Milwaukee Bucks had officially traded their star man, Giannis Antetokounmpo. But the eventual destination has caught people by surprise.

The Greek power forward has been on the books at the Bucks since 2013, after beginning his career in Greece before making himself available for the 2013 NBA Draft, where he was selected 15th overall.

But after 13 years, Giannis has sought pastures new, and after rumours circulated that he would join Jayson Tatum at the Boston Celtics, he has instead been traded to the Miami Heat.

Miami's trade package was the best deal for the Bucks, and Shams Charania, who is ESPN's NBA insider, has explained why it was difficult for the Boston Celtics to complete any deal for Antetokounmpo.

The offer on the table from Miami consisted of Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round selections, one swap option for 2030, and a second-round selection in 2033. This completely blew Boston out of the water, and they were unwilling to even attempt to match it.

Speaking on SportsCenter, Shams Charania reported that: "The Celtics were not willing to part with enough young players and assets to get a deal done."

The Celtics offered Jaylen Brown and two unprotected first-round picks for the Greek superstar. But despite Brown being a player that interested the Bucks, the deal as a whole just wasn't enough for Milwaukee to even acknowledge.

It has been reported that the Bucks would have entertained the trade had Boston added young player Hugo Gonzalez, or even Baylor Scheierman, as well as more trade options. However, the 2024 NBA champions were far away from what Milwaukee wanted and this allowed Miami to come in and get the deal done.

With Giannis turning 32 this year, and injuries becoming more and more recurring, Boston may have been savvy in protecting their youth. The Celtics deemed it more important to hold on to the likes of Brown, Gonzalez, and Scheierman, who are all in their 20s, than put all their eggs in one basket and hope an injury-plagued Antetokounmpo can bring them success.

Throughout the history of the NBA, there have been many trades that ended up being completely one-sided.

Miami have perhaps showed their hand too early in the deal for Giannis. Including four young players as well as a plethora of future trades for their top target completely blew Boston out of the water. With no competition for the Bucks power forward, the Heat could have potentially been more conservative in the deal.

Miami will be happy with their acquisition of such a huge name in Giannis, and Milwaukee themselves will be thrilled with what they managed to recoup for their star player, meaning the deal works for all parties involved.