Boston Celtics 'All-In' and 'Have a Real Shot' at Giannis Antetokounmpo. What Changed?
Boston Celtics 'All-In' and 'Have a Real Shot' at Giannis Antetokounmpo. What Changed?
The Milwaukee Bucks star seemed to be moving to Miami this weekend, but the Celtics suddenly pivoted and are now reportedly one of the finalists.John Karalis|
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Boston CelticsMilwaukee BucksThe Boston Celtics have emerged as a serious contender to land Giannis Antetokounmpo before Tuesday’s NBA draft, with two highly respected NBA insiders changing their tunes on how this could go.
“I was really skeptical that the Boston Celtics were going to go all-in on this, but from what I understand, they have,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Get Up. Windhorst was a key player in throwing cold water on this rumor over the past week.
Marc Stein, on his substack, wrote in a 3:15 AM addendum to a trade rumor column, “One league source, after this story was published, told The Stein Line that the Celtics managed to emerge from the weekend ‘with a real shot’ to win this race with a Jaylen Brown-centric offer, adding that Milwaukee has considered going ahead with a Boston swap even without a third-team facilitator.”
The momentum for an Antetokounmpo trade to the Celtics appeared to have cooled, lending real credence to the notion that the Bucks were leveraging Boston’s involvement to entice the Heat to go all in with their best and final offer. That might still be true, but the Celtics are now apparently forcing Milwaukee’s hand.
So what changed?
“They were very cautious about putting Jaylen Brown in an official, firm offer,” Windhorst said. “I believe they have. Jaylen Brown is on the table and Jaylen Brown could be traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo in the short-term future.”
The plausible deniability has now disappeared for Boston. Once that happens with a player like Brown, who has bristled at trade rumors in the past, the pivot is to go all-in.
The other interesting change is Milwaukee’s willingness to just deal with Boston.
“Whichever deal occurs, whether it’s today or tomorrow, it’s going to be a one-to-one deal,” ESPN insider Shams Charania said on Get Up. “It’s going to consist of Milwaukee and likely one of these two teams. There's no third team, fourth team in any construct right now.”
The door was left open for teams to get in on the deal over the summer, but if it involves draft picks this year, it would likely have to get done and executed quickly.
The most interesting development in this will be to see what Boston decides to trade if this deal gets done. The Celtics value Brown very highly, and have been hesitant to include much more in terms of a sweetener. Brown is an All-NBA caliber player who has proven he can lead a team past expectations. However, Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, which is a level no current Celtic has come close to reaching.
If the Celtics package feels expensive, it’ll be because they crossed the rubicon with the Brown rumors and the leverage flipped to the Bucks side. Adding multiple picks and a young player like Hugo Gonzalez, who was mentioned by Stein, would mean that Boston knew there was no coming back from these discussions once it was clear Brown was involved.
If the Celtics package is simply Brown and maybe a pick or two, it will mean that the Bucks pivoted to a more palatable win-now scenario. Even if they strip away some of the pieces and begin a rebuild around Brown, just having him on the team will mean they won’t bottom out.
It would be fair to ask if the new lottery reform changed how Milwaukee viewed the ripple effect of this deal. Now that the bottom three teams have reduced lottery odds, being mediocre but competitive is a little better than just being bad. The Bucks have operated like a team that wants a lot of picks, but where they were comfortable getting those picks might have changed.
Finally, it’s also fair to wonder if the Celtics, by apparently including Brown in this negotiation, will have to trade him regardless of the result. If the Bucks decide to go with the Miami offer, which seemed to be a done deal over the weekend, has Boston then essentially lost Brown in the pursuit of Antetokounmpo? Will they have gone too far?
Either way, the deal is expected to be finalized by tomorrow night’s draft, so we’ll finally get a resolution, at least to this part of the offseason, very soon. It's important to understand, though, that no matter what the resolution is, Stevens will have a lot of work left to do. Just getting Antetokounmpo wouldn’t be the end of the work, it would be the beginning.
Published Jun 22, 2026
JOHN KARALISJohn Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece). John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.
Follow John_KaralisBadenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
