Jonathan Kuminga’s future gets clearer after latest Giannis rumors

 


On Saturday, the Boston Celtics did something only 14 teams have done in NBA history: surrender a 3-1 playoff lead. 

The Celtics had full control of their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, but ultimately collapsed and entered the offseason earlier than expected. The 18-time NBA champions’ short playoff run suddenly made a summer trade involving one of their key assets more likely.

CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn believes Jaylen Brown could be that asset. Specifically, Quinn floated the idea of the Celtics swapping Brown for the Warriors’ presumed top offseason trade target.

“(Giannis) Antetokounmpo is two years older than Brown,’ Quinn wrote Saturday. “He's also a much bigger injury risk. This isn't as simple as pairing two megastars and waltzing to the Finals.”

“If Boston hadn't just lost in the manner in which it just did, this would be a pretty easy ‘pass’. “In practice, blowing a 3-1 lead to the 76ers would force almost anyone to reexamine their identity.”

“The best version of a hypothetical Antetokounmpo-Celtics team would be better than the existing one because Giannis is a more impactful player than Jaylen Brown, and the better your best player is, the less you tend to need elsewhere.”

It may be worth exploring a potential Antetokounmpo-Tatum partnership in Boston. Entering the playoffs, trading Brown for Antetokounmpo likely wasn’t anywhere near the Celtics’ radar.

The Celtics earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and undoubtedly had the potential to go the distance. 

However, a second consecutive Eastern Conference-less postseason finish with Brown as a monumental contributor could change the organization’s stance on the made-up trade scenario. As a do-it-all 6-foot-11 forward who’s an elite transition scorer, change of pace extraordinaire, and physically-imposing defender, Antetokounmpo would be must-see TV in a Celtics uniform. 

More importantly, the 10-time All-Star would give the Celtics higher odds of returning to the NBA Finals at this stage of his career, which makes him an ideal trade target for the Celtics this summer.

 

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