NBA Rumors: Giannis to the Celtics is 'real' and looming Mitchell Robinson suitors

It started as a smoke screen soon after Joel Embiid terrorized the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs and now it’s gaining real traction. Giannis Antetokounmpo could truly land in Boston. It feels certain that Antetokounmpo just played his last season in Milwaukee and the two teams with the most attention on Giannis are the Celtics and the Miami Heat. Both teams make sense. The Celtics and the Heat are two teams that are championship contenders, which it’s been clear he wants to go do a contender. 

Miami had a Hail Mary offer at the trade deadline, but it ultimately fell through. Boston has one of the biggest trade pieces in Jaylen Brown, which is why the move is intriguing — he also has a salary similar to Giannis’ meaning a trade is a lot easier to pull off. Would it be the best move for Boston though? 

They’ve already won a championship with Brown and Jayson Tatum as the core so do they need to take a swing at Antetokounmpo? And would Giannis and Tatum’s play style mesh the way Brown and Tatum’s have? These are the questions Brad Stevens has to ask himself before he blows up this core. 

The Celtics have a glaring problem in their frontcourt. Luka Garza and Neemias Queta both got exposed by Embiid when he made his return from a ruptured appendix. Adding Giannis would give them the big man talented enough to stall just about any interior threat in the NBA. Offensively, Giannis isn’t a massive threat outside the painted area, which can be good and bad. Boston has a lot of perimeter scorers so getting Antetokounmpo would simply open up their scorers. 

With Tatum coming off an Achilles injury he could default to more scoring off dribble and 3-point shots rather than driving to the lane, which would obviously open Giannis to dominate inside. It’s an intriguing move that is gaining momentum by the week. It’s down to Boston and Miami and both have the trade pieces to pull off the deal. It all comes down to how Milwaukee feels about which pitch will help them rebuild the quickest.

Mitchell Robinson could be a hot commodity during free agency

Sure the New York Knicks aren’t worried about Mitchell Robinson’s looming extension right now as they’re looking to close out a miraculous playoff run with an NBA title, already up 2-0 against the San Antonio Spurs. But the reality is whenever the NBA season does officially end, they’ll be in a tight race with several teams looking to beef up their frontcourt. According to Bleacher Report, The Los Angeles Lakers are the obvious frontrunner. They need a center upgrade from DeAndre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. 

The Lakers are among several teams, which includes the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, and Toronto Raptors. This is similar to the situation the Knicks faced with Isaiah Hartenstein a few years back when he left New York to sign with Oklahoma City. If you’re New York, you’re not worried either way about the Robinson decision ahead. 

Karl-Anthony Towns has played at an elite level this postseason and looked like the dominant center they need. New York could find a backup center that could fill the gap Robinson left, especially if bringing him back could be costly. The Raptors, Lakers and Hornets are all in positions to truly fill out their rosters with a playoff run looming. The Lakers won their first playoff series before getting swept by Oklahoma City; Jakob Poetl was non-existent against Cleveland and the Hornets were one win away from reaching the playoffs. 

All three of those teams have every reason to go all in on Robinson. As good as he’s been in New York, the Knicks have less reason to be aggressive. If they win a championship this year, they probably feel even less inclined to pay him a lot of money as the luxury tax aprons will certainly come into play. It’s something the Knicks have to think about, but not until they finish out the NBA Finals.

Trae Young expected to stay in Washington with extension looming

Somehow the Washington Wizards could become one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA next season. At the trade deadline, the Wizards landed Anthony Davis and Trae Young and with the No. 1 pick, could have a core that includes AJ Dybantsa and the veteran duo. Who saw that coming? This obviously hinges on Young either picking up his player option or signing an extension. 

According to NBA insider, Marc Stein, Young has until June 23 to accept or decline his player option and then has until June 30 to sign a three-year $160 million extension. Stein said he’s most likely to re-sign in the neighborhood of three-year, $120 million. It’s not the worst idea and could help the Wizards get out of a terrible situation. But re-signing Young and relying on both his and Davis’ health is a massive gamble. 

Yes, a core of Davis, Dybantsa and Young could be fun to watch, but there’s no guarantee that core actually has a chance to play a lot together. Remember when Brooklyn had a trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving played just 16 games together in the two seasons the three were in Brooklyn. Washington could have that kind of problem with Young and Davis’ injury luck. 

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