NBA Trade Rumors: Celtics Grow Frustrated Over Giannis Talks as Thunder Weigh Dort Trade Before NBA Draft

The NBA offseason is heating up with the draft just days away, as the Boston Celtics grow increasingly impatient over stalled trade talks involving Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Oklahoma City Thunder explore cost-cutting moves involving forward Luguentz Dort, and the Dallas Mavericks commit to pairing an injured Kyrie Irving with rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.

Boston's Frustration Mounts in the Giannis Sweepstakes

Trading for a star player like Antetokounmpo has proven to be a considerably more complicated process than many around the league initially anticipated, with talks growing convoluted enough that even the Celtics have begun expressing visible frustration with how the situation has unfolded. Early rumblings of a possible Jaylen Brown trade for Giannis started soon after Boston's season ended. At first, it was just rumors, and then speculation turned into a real possibility. The Antetokounmpo sweepstakes has boiled down to the Miami Heat and the Celtics, with Milwaukee working to extract maximum value from whichever team ultimately lands its franchise cornerstone.

The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn provided an update on the Celtics' chances of swapping Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo. "I don't think he's going to be a Celtic, and that's just from what I'm hearing," Washburn said. "I think the Celtics are gauging what it would take to get Giannis to Boston and trying to figure out whether they want to move Jaylen Brown."

According to Hoops Hype, a league source said that Boston has indicated any "Brown to third team talk" is premature. This would explain Boston's frustration, as the team has been trying to get a deal done directly between Boston and Milwaukee rather than involving a third party. Boston had also hoped that simply dangling Brown as a trade chip would be intriguing enough that Milwaukee wouldn't feel the need to be especially aggressive in negotiations.

A Two-Team Race With No Clear Resolution

Despite the prolonged nature of the talks, league insiders have continued to describe the situation as fundamentally a contest between just two suitors. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported the Miami Heat are interested in Antetokounmpo with an offer that is "widely presumed" to include guard Tyler Herro, center Kel'el Ware, forward Jaime Jacquez Jr. and draft capital. He added that Boston is "believed to be a potential suitor that genuinely concerns Miami."

Tim Reynolds, a Miami-based NBA writer for the Associated Press, offered a characteristically blunt update on the situation: "Giannis Antetokounmpo still wants to be in Miami, we're told. But even he doesn't know how this thing is going to end up."

Other insiders have suggested the dynamic may be shifting in Boston's favor, even if subtly. Marc Stein wrote, "I have also spoken to teams and well-placed insiders around the league who believe that it remains possible that Antetokounmpo does not ultimately land on South Beach. As we've been reporting since late May, Boston is increasingly projected to be the other landing spot that Giannis prefers to be steered to ... without overtly pushing as hard as he possibly can."

Washburn offered his own assessment of where the leverage currently sits: "I do think Miami has the edge on this, but I do think Boston is kinda sniffing around and finding out could you even acquire Giannis without sacrificing Jaylen? That would be a big question. What is exactly Milwaukee looking for? Who is the third team involved? Because it's gonna have to be a third team involved."

The Financial Complications of Including Brown

Much of the difficulty in finalizing any Antetokounmpo trade traces back to the financial realities surrounding Jaylen Brown's contract, which complicates Boston's ability to construct a competitive offer without including him. The Celtics playmaker has a cap hit of $57.1 million next season, $61 million in 2027-28, and $65 million in 2028-29.

Tatum and Brown are both making more than $57 million next season. Derrick White, at $30.3 million, is the only other Celtics player with a salary over $11 million in 2026-27, meaning Boston would either need a third team's financial assistance or would have to include Brown to make the math work on any deal for Antetokounmpo.

Risk of Inaction

Beyond simply losing out on Antetokounmpo to Miami, some analysts have warned that prolonged trade speculation itself carries risk for Boston's relationship with Brown regardless of how the situation resolves. One potential drawback, as Washburn pointed out, is that Brown hearing his name mentioned in trade rumors might cause a rift with the organization that the Celtics would need to repair if he doesn't get moved.

According to one NBA insider, "Despite some rumors making the rounds on social media, the Celtics and Bucks have not finalized or come close to agreeing on any sort of trade surrounding Antetokounmpo." With the draft fast approaching, that lack of progress has only heightened the sense of urgency — and frustration — surrounding the entire situation.

Oklahoma City Eyes Cost-Cutting Move Involving Dort

Separately, the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly exploring ways to create salary cap flexibility, with veteran forward Luguentz Dort emerging as a name to watch this offseason. Dort could be a name to watch as Oklahoma City is looking to save some salary cap space, with the team currently due to pay him $17.7 million and projected to be roughly $40 million over the luxury tax line.

If the Thunder ultimately decide to trade Dort, he shouldn't be nearly as difficult to move as Antetokounmpo has proven to be, given his more modest salary and well-defined role as a perimeter defender. Should the Celtics ultimately trade away Brown as part of a Giannis deal, Dort could emerge as an appealing replacement option, given his reputation as a strong three-point shooter and high-level perimeter defender — a profile that fits squarely within Boston's broader team-building philosophy.

Dallas Commits to the Irving-Flagg Pairing

In Dallas, meanwhile, the Mavericks have signaled their intention to move forward with a different kind of continuity strategy, betting on the long-term partnership between veteran guard Kyrie Irving and rookie phenom Cooper Flagg. Irving missed the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. The Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg with the idea that Irving and Flagg would form the core of the franchise moving forward.

According to Marc J. Spears, Hoops Hype reported that the Mavericks' ownership is committed to seeing Irving and Flagg together for now, rather than entertaining trade scenarios that would move on from Irving before the pairing has had a genuine opportunity to develop on the court together.

With the 2026 NBA Draft scheduled for next Thursday, league insiders broadly expect the Antetokounmpo situation to reach some form of resolution before then, given Milwaukee's stated interest in incorporating draft capital into any eventual return package. Whether that resolution sends the two-time MVP to Boston or Miami remains genuinely uncertain, according to multiple league sources, even as both franchises continue positioning themselves as the more attractive long-term destination for one of basketball's most coveted available stars. Meanwhile, the fate of role players like Dort, and the early returns on Dallas's commitment to building around an Irving-Flagg backcourt, will offer additional storylines to track as teams across the league finalize their rosters ahead of the draft and the opening of free agency.