League-altering Celtics trade idea would swap Finals MVP, elite defender for $175 million 9-time All-Star

The Boston Celtics will take on the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semi-Final series on Monday night, but uncertainty will soon envelope the reigning NBA champions come summertime.

Boston's financial capabilities have been stretched to an ultimate breaking point, which could end with the storied franchise deciding to cut ties with a core piece of their title-winning roster in the next few months. 

The combination of 4-time All-NBA Team selection Jayson Tatum and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown will earn a combined $562,728,476 in guarantee salary through the 2028-29 campaign. Second tax apron doom awaits the organization if they choose not to move a talent or two to ease their contractual stressors, and the latter of the pair may be thrown in eventual trade negotiations.

In fact, recent reports have indicated that Brown could be packaged together along with 2-time All-Defensive Team selection and fan-favorite guard Derrick White in a blockbuster deal to potentially land the Milwaukee Bucks' legendary power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"So imagine the Bucks, in the aftermath of Damian Lillard's torn Achilles tendon, are finally forced to consider offers for their franchise player," CBS Sports' Sam Quinn wrote Monday.

"How many teams could put forth a better offer than, say, Brown, White and several first-round picks?"

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"Brown and White combine to make over $81 million next season. Antetokounmpo makes closer to $54 million."

"But if you ask most teams, "would you rather have Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jaylen Brown and Derrick White," they'd take the two-time MVP."

In a hypothetical trade scenario, Quinn suggests that the Celtics could try their luck at pairing the 2021 NBA champion and Finals MVP with Tatum to form one of the most fearsome duos in league history.

If a deal of this caliber were to be agreed upon, Quinn also added that Boston would have to accept the contracts of players like Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton, who would both likely accept one-year player options.

At 30 years old, Antetokounmpo could plausibly request a trade from Milwaukee after suffering yet another first-round playoff elimination, which may open up a chance for the unthinkable to occur.

The 2-time league MVP, 2020 Defensive Player of the Year and 8-time All-NBA selection authored one of his most impressive seasons to date in 2024-25, as he averaged a sensational 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 60.1% from the field in 67 appearances.

By prospectively pairing the incredible two-way superstar with Tatum in Boston, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference could be handed to the team by default for the next half-decade.

Antetokounmpo making his way to the Celtics while Brown and White look to lead a re-tooling period in Milwaukee is certainly a fun idea to consider, but all signs point to the franchise looking to deal either Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis before anyone else for immediate tax relief.

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