Celtics Linked to Giannis

The rumor is loud because the math is brutal: Boston already has Jayson Tatum at $58.5 million for 2026-27, Jaylen Brown at $57.1 million, and Derrick White at $30.3 million, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is due $58.5 million that same season. That is four giant contracts before you even fill out the rest of the roster. (spotrac.com, spotrac.com, basketball-reference.com) That is why this report is not really about a trade package yet. It is about Boston showing up on the list of teams that would chase Giannis if Milwaukee ever opens the door. (sports.yahoo.com) Boston has already been forced to cut payroll once under the National Basketball Association’s new spending rules. NBC Sports Boston noted that the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in June 2025 with the second apron hanging over the roster. (nbcsportsboston.com) The second apron is the league’s punishment line for teams that spend too far above the salary cap. For the 2025-26 season, NBC Sports Boston listed the projected salary cap at $154.6 million and the second apron at $207.8 million. (nbcsportsboston.com) Once a team is over that line, trades get harder in very specific ways. Yahoo Sports and other cap explainers have laid out two big limits: teams above the second apron cannot combine multiple salaries to match one bigger contract, and they cannot take back more salary than they send out. (sports.yahoo.com, usatoday.com) That matters because Giannis is not on an expiring deal that lets Milwaukee panic. Spotrac lists him at $54.1 million in 2025-26, $58.5 million in 2026-27, and a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. (spotrac.com) Milwaukee’s side of this story is why the rumor exists at all. ESPN’s standings page had the Bucks at 31-49 and out of the East playoff field this week, which is a long way from the version of the team that won the 2021 championship with Giannis as the centerpiece. (espn.com) Boston’s side is simpler: even after all the cap stress, the Celtics are still near the top of the conference. ESPN’s standings page had Boston at 54-25 and second in the East, which is exactly why rival executives would connect a contender with a superstar who changes every possession. (espn.com) The problem is that a real Celtics offer would probably have to start with one max contract just to make the money legal. Basketball-Reference’s current payroll sheet shows Boston’s biggest movable salaries after Tatum and Brown are White at $30.3 million and Nikola Vucevic at $21.5 million, which shows how fast the numbers get awkward. (basketball-reference.com) So the cleanest read on this rumor is not “Boston is close.” The cleanest read is “if Giannis becomes available, Boston does not want to be the team that stayed silent,” and the hard part would begin only after that. (sports.yahoo.com, spotrac.com, sports.yahoo.com)