Giannis Antetokounmpo Rumor: Should the Celtics Consider Him? What A Trade Looks Like

Summary

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Locked On Celtics - Giannis Antetokounmpo Rumor: Should the Celtics Consider Him? What a Trade Looks Like

Host: John Karalis (with guest Tom Westerholm)
Date: April 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, John Karalis and guest Tom Westerholm dive deep into swirling rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo possibly expressing interest in joining the Boston Celtics. The entire episode is a focused, thoughtful, and at times lighthearted discussion. The hosts analyze if Giannis-to-Boston is even plausible, what a trade would entail—especially the cost in roster and chemistry—and whether it makes sense for the Celtics to pursue possibly one of the game’s most dominant players.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context of the Rumor

• Giannis’s Recent Comments:

  • Giannis recently praised the Celtics organization, head coach Joe Mazzulla, and the team culture (“He just gets the most out of these guys. My situation, I only care about winning. And look at how much Joe Mazzulla impacts winning.” – John Karalis quoting Giannis, 02:56).
  • The public nature of these comments drives speculation that Boston is a preferred destination ("It's very obvious... he’d be open to it,” 03:19).

• Rumor Timing:

  • Tom Westerholm notes the rumors are surfacing just as the Celtics approach the playoffs—suspicious timing possibly stirred up by rival executives to disrupt Boston’s momentum (05:23).

• Celtics Team Situation:

  • The Celtics are an elite, well-built team, not desperate for a superstar; any move would shift their well-balanced roster (10:39).

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2. Does a Giannis Trade Make Sense?

"Is Boston a sensible destination for Giannis?"

• Pros:

  • Boston could theoretically retain enough key pieces after a trade to remain a title contender (10:39).
  • The Celtics’ depth and leadership (Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla) make them an ideal landing spot.

• Cons:

  • The Celtics “don’t have to trade for Giannis,” as John puts it. Their core is so strong, they can afford to be choosy.
  • The asset cost, potential chemistry shake-up, and the uniqueness of their current situation mean Boston can resist a ‘blockbuster’ unless the deal is perfect (11:46).

“The Celtics are unique in that...the leftover team will be good, and Brad Stevens is good at filling in the gaps. So, yeah, it makes sense. It makes sense for Giannis to want to go here, but because the Celtics are also that deep and that good, the Celtics don't have to trade for Giannis.” – John Corrales (10:39)

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3. Exploring Trade Possibilities

A. Trade That Keeps Both Jays

Segment starts ~16:35

Scenario: Celtics keep both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

• Must include Derrick White ($30M), Sam Hauser ($11M), Peyton Pritchard ($7.7M) for salary matching.
• This passes NBA trade rules, but leaves Boston thin—a top-heavy, shallow roster.

Issues Raised:

• Losing Derrick White: Both hosts reiterate White is a uniquely perfect third-best player (18:31).

• Too Many Superstars: “If you bring in Giannis, you have three first best players... that doesn't always work...Sometimes it doesn’t work at all.” — Tom Westerholm (18:31)

• Analogy: Tom likens the roster to a meal with “steak, shrimp, and salmon”—it’s overkill, while Derrick White is "asparagus,” the element that ties it all together (19:34).

• Depth Sacrifice: Celtics’ advantage is depth; trading for Giannis in this way would greatly diminish it (20:49).

• Point Guard/Ball Handling Deficit: Would need two cheap ballhandlers to replace White and Pritchard, a risky proposition (21:07).

Conclusion:
Both hosts come down against this trade:

“I’m gonna say I’m against it. It throws the balance off too much… it pushes Jaylen Brown to your third option. After this season, I don’t know how that would go.” – John Karalis (23:45)

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B. Trading One of the Jays

Segment starts ~28:22

• The go-to scenario if Boston “has to” make the move: sending out Jaylen Brown for Giannis.

Points Discussed:

• Would Milwaukee even want Jaylen? Both hosts agree: If the Bucks move Giannis, they’re more likely to rebuild than try to reload with Jaylen (28:52).
• Value & Skills Overlap: There’s overlap but not equivalence; each brings different strengths (29:59).
• If Giannis plays the 5: Could produce a lethal Tatum-Giannis-White-Hauser lineup, but comes with caveats regarding fit and Giannis’s personal preferences (30:11).

Biggest Questions:

• Health and Age: Giannis is 31, recent injury history (missed time with calf strains), and his strong personality regarding role and team control are all red flags (31:22, 34:49).
• Chemistry Impact: Swapping a core Jay for Giannis might ruin hard-earned Tatum-Brown synergy.

“I have zero interest in it. I’m gonna be honest...If you want to have a Giannis-type player, just give that to Jaylen Brown...This group right here is doing awesome stuff, and I don’t see any reason to...mess with that.” – Tom Westerholm (32:05)

Bonus:

• Tom jokes about the “Thanasis and Alex” Antetokounmpo brothers surely joining as roster fillers, instantly making the team worse (33:20).

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4. Final Verdict & Philosophy

Segment starts ~37:03

• Both hosts ultimately reject both scenarios outright.
• Boston is a championship team now, with a healthy and improving Tatum-Brown core and an environment and flexibility that could absorb a star if and when it makes sense—just not now.

“If Jason didn’t look this good, I’d be open to Giannis. But Jason looking the way he does now...Jalen at the height of his powers, everything else working, I don’t know. I’m not upsetting this apple cart.” – John Karalis (37:33)

Philosophy:
Don’t break what’s not broken. "I kind of like where they are. I like who they have. And it's not like they're a middle of the road team... This is a championship level team." (38:00)

• Both are “out,” unless a wildly team-friendly bargain appears.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Giannis’s not-so-subtle hints:

  “He just gets the most out of these guys...What a culture... Very obvious Giannis, Boston—he’d be open to it…I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to ask questions in Greek in a scrum to get my exclusive quotes.” — John Corrales (02:56)

• Tom’s skepticism of the rumors:

  “Do you mean to tell me that Giannis Antetokounmpo did something incredibly ham fisted and obvious during this entire trade saga?” — Tom Westerholm (04:30)

• Roster analogy:

  “If you bring in Giannis, you have three entrees. You have steak and shrimp and salmon, and that’s a ridiculous meal...Derrick White, however,...is asparagus. It’s good for you and it tastes good with the other stuff.” — Tom Westerholm (19:34)

• Westerholm summing up the Giannis-for-Jaylen debate:

  “I just don’t love the idea of replacing Jaylen’s offense with Giannis...The amount of usage that Giannis would get, I would rather have Jaylen Brown have that usage. I like the shots better that Jaylen Brown gets.” (32:05)

• Poking fun at the obligatory Antetokounmpo brothers roster spots:

  “You go get Giannis, you know what two of those new roster spots are going to be? They gotta be Thanasis and Alex, and, like, [the team] gets worse automatically!” — Tom Westerholm (33:20)

• Final word on risk for 2026:

  “This is a championship level team. So I'm not willing to take the risk now in 2026 that I might take two or three years from now...So I'm out.” — John Karalis (38:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:56 – Giannis’s comments about Boston, setting rumor mill ablaze
• 05:23 – Tom’s skepticism and thoughts on rumor timing
• 10:39 – Analysis: Why Boston is a unique destination for Giannis
• 16:35 – Exploring a “no Jays” trade scenario (White, Hauser, Pritchard, etc.)
• 18:31–23:45 – Downsides to losing Derrick White, overstacked roster, loss of depth
• 28:22 – Examining the “trade a Jay” (Jaylen) scenario
• 32:05 – Rejecting Giannis-for-Jaylen and reasoning
• 34:49 – Giannis’s age, health, and role control concerns
• 37:03 – Final verdict: Why now is not the time to mess with success
• 38:00 – Risk appetite and team philosophy in 2026

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Summary Conclusion

John Karalis and Tom Westerholm bring a pragmatic and Celtics-centric lens to the Giannis rumor. They approach every potential trade with due diligence, but in every scenario—whether keeping the Jays, losing a key depth piece, or trading a core star—the answer is a polite, measured “no.” The Celtics are a top-tier team poised for championship contention. The cost, the loss of identity, and the risks in star-for-star or “all-in” scenarios far outweigh potential gains, especially with Giannis’s health questions and outsized influence demands.

The duo sign off agreeing: Boston’s focus should stay internal. If a miraculous bargain presents itself, sure, they’ll listen—but for now, the best path is continuity, chemistry, and belief in the current team.

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Transcript

[John Corrales]

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[John Corrales]

Now on the Lockdown Celtics podcast, Giannis and Tentokounmpo rumors. We'll see if they make any sense, explore the trades, try to figure it all out. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast. I'm John Corrales. Today's show is all about Giannis and Tentacumpo. There are rumors about Giannis. I've done bonus podcasts already on all the other stuff, so we're focused exclusively on Giannis rumors. Later on in the second and third segments, we'll explore the potential for any trades. Right. If they're going to get them, they're gonna have to trade for them. Second segment, the option of keeping both the Jays. The third segment, just because we have to. Just to explore whether it's Eve, whether it even makes any sense trading one of the J's. Not that we advocate for it, but we just got to explore it. But let's just dive into the rumors with our guy, Tom Westerholm. What's going on, Tom?

[Tom Westerholm]

What up? How you doing, man?

[John Corrales]

I'm doing great, Tom Westerhome, Boston people have said, hey man, you spend so much time introducing yourself, you never tell us what Tom does. Well, Tom's Boston dot com. We started together on the beat at Mass Live many years ago and yeah, so that's, that's Tom. What? Tom's been covering the Celtics for quite some time as well. All right, so long enough to discuss Giannis Nidokumpo and okay, my first viral

[Tom Westerholm]

tweet about the Celtics involved the Darko Milicich trade.

[John Corrales]

Oh, my God. Yeah, Tom. Tom's been around for a while, too. Not quite an old man like me, but, you know, not. Not quite. But you're a vet. Was that for sure?

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

So Giannis came out and said some very flattering things about the Boston Celtics and Joe Missoula in. In just so blatantly without basically saying, hey, I would love to go to Boston, as one of my destinations said, hey, she's, you know, this is Joe Missoula, man. He just gets the most out of these guys. My situation, I, I only care about winning. And look at how much Joe Missoula impacts winning. What a culture that they've been in Boston. Then Joe was asked about it and he did the very polite things like, yeah, Giannis is a great player. And then he talked about the Celtics culture. It's all about the players. It's about the owners, about the staff and all of that stuff. So it's very obvious. Giannis, Boston, he would, he'd be open to it. Plenty of Greeks in Boston. I just, theoretically, not that I'm advocating for a trade or anything like that. I wouldn't mind the opportunity to ask questions in Greek in a scrum to get my exclusive quotes. Yeah, like there's some people who ask Hugo Gonzalez questions in Spanish. I, I want in on. I want in on the exclusive, but, you know, still part of the scrum thing. So I'm, I'm in. I'm in on Giannis. I'm not so sure I'm in on what it would take to get him here. So we'll start with this question, Tom. Do the Giannis rumors or does the concept. I wouldn't even call it a rumor. Does the concept of Giannis and tendokounmpo, considering that it has to be a trade, does that make sense for the Celtics?

[Tom Westerholm]

Well, first, I want to address. Do you mean to tell me that Giannis Antetokounmpo did something incredibly ham fisted and obvious during this entire trade saga? Because, like, by saying that he wanted that, he'd be open to Boston, basically. But did he essentially say something without saying something that made it really clear exactly what he was trying to get across? Because I for one, find that difficult to believe because he's been so sneaky this whole time.

[John Corrales]

So the guile, the guile I think that he has displayed throughout all of this is amazing. The, the, the.

[Tom Westerholm]

The gentle touch. The, the.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, yeah, the, the Greeks, we Greeks are not a subtle breed.

[Tom Westerholm]

We, I mean, listen, he does not play a subtle brand of basketball.

[John Corrales]

So, honestly, subtle about Giannis in any way, shape or form.

[Tom Westerholm]

No, no, there's really not. Okay, so that aside, do these rumors make sense? Yes, and I'll tell you why. Because they are coming out at precisely the least convenient time for the Celtics, right? Like as the playoffs are starting with. We get. The rival execs say that the Celtics have been involved in these rumors, which is just tailor made for any Eastern Conference team that's like, oh, man, like, these Celtics are enjoying this, this, this wonderful, this fairy tale season. Here comes Jason Tatum. Everything is just roses. Everything is just, you know, everything. Everything's just beautiful in Boston. It's all going so great. There's, you know, almost playing with house money here as they, as they get toward the playoffs. And then, you know, rival execs, like, I heard they want Giannis. I heard that they were gonna trade Jalen Brown and Jason Taylor. Actually, they're gonna trade both of them and they're actually shopping both of those guys. Giannis is one guy like it.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes, the rumors make sense. Like, the timing makes a lot of sense to me in a. I would say cynically that the timing makes a little too much sense and is a little too convenient, per se. Almost ham fisted, some might say. So the, the spider that tried to crawl on is now back. He's a large guy. Anyway, I, I'm gonna be slightly distracted and I pass it to you now as I try to deal with this.

[John Corrales]

Tom is about to be eaten by a tarantula that has been spawned in nuclear waste. So, yeah, so, okay, yeah, look, that makes sense. I like, I like the, the concept of rival GMs being like, okay, you know what? We're sick of this Celtics thing. It's. It's time to let let loose and be like, yeah, we heard. If there's any team that I think is capable of being like, yeah, no, we're good. It's. I think it's the Celtics, because anybody that would be in trade rumors has already been in trade rumors before. I, I'm, I'm curious, like, we're gonna do a segment later about, well, if they had to, would they trade a J, which always ends up being the second syllable, Len, would they trade Jalen? Because we're, we know that that's how this goes. And I do wonder if there's any one guy in that locker room. Maybe this is why the rumors are starting to flow. If there's Any one guy in that locker room that would have, that would hear this stuff and be like, oh, here we go again. It might be Jalen. So keep an eye out on his twitch streams, because if there's any place where he's going to express this, that might be it. I, I, I think most teams would have what you can very accurately describe as an interest in Giannis Antentokounmpo. Would Brad Stevens like to add Giannis and Tendon Kumpo? Yeah, you know, hey, Listen, he's still 31. He'll turn 32 next year. He's been hurt. But you can say, theoretically, he, the, the, the workload, the usage rate wouldn't be what you would ex. What, what it has been. Yeah, well, let's just, let's just kick it around a little bit. That's technically interest, but to what level is their actual interest? Right, there's the. Sure, let John Horst, let, let's talk. Let's have that conversation. What are you thinking? And then he'll say some names, and Brad will be like, nah, it's, that's, that's, no. And then he'll say some other names. No. And then it might just be like, yeah, it's, this is, this isn't gonna, this isn't gonna work. So I think just to make sense of things at the, at the, the surface level, Giannis, as you say, is, is not being subtle. He's just, he's throwing out all of the places that are good that could trade for him and still be good after they trade for him like that. For Giannis, the Celtics could swing a trade that whatever pieces they move, they would retain enough good pieces, so when he joins them, they're a championship contender. There's not that many teams out there, because a lot of the teams out there that you would go to, you'd say, okay, yeah, we, you can technically swing a trade, but then it's just, it's just the Milwaukee Bucks in a different uniform in a different city.

[Tom Westerholm]

Right, right, right, right.

[John Corrales]

The Celtics are unique in that. However we get whatever we talk about in the next two segments, the leftover team will be good, and Brad Stevens is good at filling in the gaps, and Joe Missoula is great at getting the most out of his team. So, yeah, it makes sense. It makes sense for Giannis to want to go here, but because the Celtics are also that deep and that good, the Celtics don't have to trade for Giannis. That's, that's the other side of this, they'd Be like, sure, we'll. We'll listen, we'll talk. Because who knows? Maybe John Horst has. Yeah, no, look, I got five teams that we can. We can swing this. And all you have to give up is Baylor Charman, which not. Not technically possible, but if, hey, we'll. We'll listen to your crazy ideas and maybe one of them will be just crazy enough to work and let. Let's. Let's boogie. But I think that to me, right now, that's the extent of it.

[Tom Westerholm]

You're just scared they're gonna offer Ugo, aren't you?

[John Corrales]

I'm so afraid, Tom. No, no, because he'll go somewhere else and he'll ascend and I'd be like, see, I told you. You want to dive into some of these?

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, let's do it. Let's.

[John Corrales]

Let's just explore. Let's. We. You gotta explore.

[Tom Westerholm]

Gotta explore.

[John Corrales]

See if anything makes any sense. So trigger, warning, cavia, whatever you want to say. We are not advocating for any of this stuff. We're just throwing names into a trade machine and we're going to see how it goes. We'll start with the Non J's option, keeping both Jalen and Jason. We'll do that when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by Wayfair. Wayday is here, and if you've been thinking about upgrading your space, this is the time to do it. We're talking about some of the best deals of the year on furniture, decor, outdoor essentials, everything you need to refresh your home during Wayday. Wayfair is offering up to 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything, making it easy to find that fit. To find pieces that fit your style and your budget. Super easy to filter by style, size, price, so you're not wasting time scrolling. Whatever your space needs, whatever your wallet can afford, that's what you filter. No problem. There are reviews, there are photos. You're confident in what you're getting. There are Wayfair verified products that are vetted by specialists so you know you're getting quality. So whether you're upgrading a room, whether you're adding an outdoor space, just finding another thing that just ties the space together. The whole process is simple from start to finish. I'd say half my stuff upstairs is Wayfair, so check it out. Way day is the sale to shop for the best deals in home. We're talking about 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything. Head to Wayfair.com on April 25th through the 27th to shop Wayday that's W-A-F-A-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair every style, every home Today's show is also brought to you by Game Time. There's nothing like being in an NBA arena. The crowds are amazing. I am in arenas all the time. They're great. Whether it's Boston, whether it's somewhere else, you need to be there. But getting tickets? It hasn't always been so simple. I've used Game Time to get into arenas for other sporting events and it is easily the go to app for getting tickets fast without the hassle. It puts the advantage back in your hands because the gametime app has all in pricing. So you see the prices up front. Whatever you see that number is what's going to be there at the checkout you can get a view from your seat. So if you're going to a new arena, you're not sure it'll show you what you're going to see. If you like the view from a certain section, you just say give me a zone deal. Game Time will pick the seats in that section. You can save a little bit there. It's great for last minute. It's great for whatever you're looking for. Quick and easy, intuitive, stress free. Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app. Create an account. Use the code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. That's locked on. Locked locked on for $20 off. I'm wearing the shirt that says Locked On. That's your promo code. Download the Game Time app today and if you're going to use the web it's it's gametime Co on the web. Gametime Co. Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen. Every day I have bonus podcasts. This week has been crazy with the bonus podcast I think you're going to get. We were totaling it up before. Do you get 10 podcasts this week? When you consider bonus podcasts all week long plus a bonus podcast Friday night after the Pelicans game. I think it's 10 podcasts this week. It's a lot. I want to hear your opinion. Get into the comment section on the on the YouTube page. Is it too much? I'm still I'm trying to figure out what the sweet spot is for bonus podcasts. So let me know. The last bonus podcast I did was Brad Stevens. A few comments from him when he spoke before the Hornets game. So check that out but let me know what what you're thinking, Am I flooding you with too many things? Let me know. I'm John Corrales, by the way. I cover the Celtics 4 Celtics on SI. I've been covering the team for 20 years and doing this podcast for 10, and today with Tom Westerholm, who. I think the spider is muted. You're good now I'm good. The Giannis and Tentacumpo, rumors or not rumors. I. It doesn't qualify as a rumor yet. It's not like there's.

[Tom Westerholm]

Well, it doesn't. I think it does. I mean, it's. It's a rumor, for one thing. We should note that it's one rumor.

[John Corrales]

Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

And it. I mean, you know, it's like. It's coming from rival execs. It's like he was mentioned. I mean. Right. Like they. The. Or the Celtics were mentioned with him. That.

[John Corrales]

Yes.

[Tom Westerholm]

That qualifies.

[John Corrales]

That's a rumor.

[Tom Westerholm]

Sure.

[John Corrales]

All right. So you're gonna have to trade for him. And in the 26, 27 season, he's gonna make 58 and a half million dollars, which is a lot of money.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And then he's gonna get one more year after that. 63, 62.8 player option. Gonna bet that he picks that up? I think. So how do you get to giannis and Tentacupo's 58 and a half million dollars without one of Jason or Jalen? Because they make about the same amount of money. They're right there. Number one, it has to be Derrick White. It has. He makes $30 million and you say, okay, I'm using the spot track trade machine. So Derek White, you get. You're still gonna get 28 million, right? Right away, actually. No, that's wrong. Derrick White, Sam Houser, Peyton Pritchard, those three guys, just for money's sake, that passes on the spot track trade machine. They need to add players. They'll only have 11 players on. On the roster. Maybe resigning. Vuchovic will be 12. You still need to get two more. So that's the situation they'd be in. So right away, because Jalen and Jason make the 57 and 58, the next. You only have those three contracts. Derek at 30.3, Sam at almost 11, Peyton at 7.7. That's enough to get you where you need to go for Giannis. So starting there, Tom, is. That is. How do you feel about that?

[Tom Westerholm]

I am not enthused. So there's a few reasons. Number one, I think one of the reasons that this Celtics team works so well is because their third best player is the single perfect third best player in the NBA. There is not a better third play, third best player in the league than Derek White. And if you bring in Giannis, you now have three with like three first best players on your team. That's tough. Like, that doesn't always work. And in fact, a lot of times that doesn't work at all. And so starting there, right? I hate the idea of giving up Derrick White because you're giving up that, that, that perfect piece that kind of brings it all together. You know what I mean? It's like, it's like you have, if you bring in Giannis, you have three entrees. Like, you, you have, you have. All of a sudden you have steak and shrimp and salmon, and that's a ridiculous meal, right? Like, that's. Why would you do that?

[John Corrales]

Now, you could do a surf and turf. To me, be honest.

[Tom Westerholm]

Okay. Yes. And that's why the steak and the shrimp can work together. Like the Celtics currently have surf and turf. Right? Like that works. But then you throw in another one, right? It's like, okay, chicken. You get like a, you know, a chicken breast on top of it as well. And it's like, okay, all right. This is starting to look like a meat tornado. And like, you know, Ron Swanson might like it, but the rest of us, you know, it's like, it's not. It, like it's a, you know, it's a little much. It's a little much. Derek White, however, Derrick White is asparagus. It, it's, it's, it's nice. It's got, it's good for you and it tastes good with the other stuff. And when, you know, it's, you know, it's, it just, it just goes nicely. It's good with all the other stuff. So starting there with the Derrick White thing, I don't like it. I also don't like it. I mean, the, the depth, the Celtics depth, it matters a lot. Like, that's one of the biggest reasons they're so good. And obviously Giannis gives you other options. Right now you can have, you know, you can have at least one of Giannis, Jalen and or Jason on the floor at any time. That's going to be a pretty good team. Obviously, that's going to be a very good team. But I, I still think that there's a little too much entree going on with that group.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, I, I don't like the idea of giving up both of your ball handlers to get you the other Two. The other two spots that are open would both have to go to ball handlers now, I'm sure.

[Tom Westerholm]

Cheap ball handlers.

[John Corrales]

They would have to be cheap, right? They would have to be cheap. They would have to be Dennis Schroeder, you know, like that. That kind of. Yeah, And I don't want to have Schroeder back.

[Tom Westerholm]

No.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. But in that vein, in that ilk. Right. You know, you can. You gotta go find. And maybe there's a way to involve another team. You know, let's see here. I don't know. It would. It's impossible to do a trade this size, just one on one anyway, so there'd probably have to be another team

[Tom Westerholm]

involved just shooting out the window and see if you can get Marcus Smart back.

[John Corrales]

Oh, geez. Well, that. That wouldn't work.

[Tom Westerholm]

The money wouldn't work there.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, I don't think. Yeah, I. I just. I don't think that's gonna go the way we think it would.

[Tom Westerholm]

I think it might. I don't think it would go that well, so. It might.

[John Corrales]

Okay, so then it would go the way you think it would. Yeah. Yeah. This is tough. This is tough because it's Giannis, and he still is a force of nature, and you have him. Tatum can handle the ball. Jalen can handle the ball. You can make the argument that both Jason and Jalen handling the ball with Giannis. Giannis can bring the ball up in transition. The. The gravity of those three guys on the floor at the same time would be so massive that I think you and I could be the other two guys on the floor and it would still go okay. So there's. There's that. There's also, like, the possibility of, hey, you know, maybe. Maybe, you know, Ugo becomes a more on ball guy and you just kind of go with. With him or something. I'm not. I'm not enthused about this. I'm also not all that opposed to the idea. I don't want to trade Derrick White. But you have to. And that is my sticking point as well. I don't. I don't like it. And I'm gonna say I'm against it. I'm gonna skew against it, I think, because it. It throws. It throws the balance off too much. It. Turn it. It. What it does is it. It puts. It pushes Jaylen Brown to your third option.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And after this season, I don't know how that would go.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. And I also. There's one other thing that I don't like about it that I want to get in before we move to the trade a J option. I also. You also have to remember the stuff that would have to then also go out to Milwaukee would be hefty because those three guys are really good players. But like, those are three guys who are really good for a winning team and Milwaukee would probably then flip them into other stuff. But Milwaukee wouldn't just accept those three guys and say, all right, we're good. Like, we're talking crazy compensation here as well. And like, at that point, you know, I mean, you're giving up your depth and your future flexibility and just going all in on this kind of risky three person thing that I don't love. So, yeah, for that reason, Sharks, I'm out.

[John Corrales]

I'm out. All right, so. So maybe you save on the draft compensation by including one of the J's.

[Tom Westerholm]

Sure.

[John Corrales]

Let's just explore the studio space. Today's show is brought to you by Indeed. You have a job opening. There are people out there that fit your job opening. But you're so busy, the workplace is so chaotic that you don't know how to go find all of those people. You've got a stack of resumes. You're just going to hope. You're going to pray. You're going to be like, cross your fingers. No, you're going to use Indeed Sponsored Jobs. They are like your advanced scouts. They're going to go out there and find the person with the skills, the experience, the location, the same way an NBA team would fill a roster spot. Indeed Sponsored Jobs. They're going to help you find a right candidate that can fit everything that you're looking for in this minute that I'm talking to you. Companies like yours will make 27 hires on Indeed according to Indeed Data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all the boxes. You need Indeed Sponsored Jobs to save you stress time and get you more results. When the right person is out there, you need to cut through the chaos. Indeed Sponsored Jobs will get you a $75 sponsored job credit to get your job the premium status it deserves. It's@ Indeed.com podcast. Go there right now and say you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Today's show is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Things are crazy out there in the world and financial stresses are a big, big problem right now. Gas, alone, home heating oil, people over five bucks. It's expensive. It can affect your sleep, it can affect your relationships. It can affect your overall mental health in ways that build up over time. If you're struggling with money, it does not mean that you fail. It just means that you need to work through some stuff. You haven't had the right kind of support. You can get that through better help. The stress that comes with trying to figure everything out on your own, the expectation that you need you feel to like, say, say I've got everything together. It's all too much. And if you can talk through it, you can get past it and understand that it's. That's not necessarily what you're feeling is not necessarily the case. I believe in therapy. I've benefited from therapy. And it's not just financial advice. It's about working through stress, anxiety, and the emotions that come with it. BetterHelp has 30,000 licensed therapists, more than 6 million people served, and it makes it easier to get matched in slow. Start focusing on what you need. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get a 10 [e-mail] lockdown mba it's betterhelp h e l p betterhelp.com locked on mba thank you for making lockdown celtics your first listen every day. Thank you for being an everydayer. Everydayers. You're getting 10 podcasts this week. Bonus podcasts everywhere. If you're with me, if you've listened to all 10, you are like the super everydayer. Why not join me on the Locked on every dayers club? Lockdown celtics.supercast.com you get ad free audio. 5 bucks a month, 50 bucks for the year. Ad free audio compatible with all major podcasting apps. Access to our in game chats, our Discord server locked on celtics.supercast.com check it out. All right, let's finish this off. Let's finish off the Giannis rumor room. We always, we always make rumors plural.

[Tom Westerholm]

One rumor.

[John Corrales]

One thing that's been said. But yeah, the trading a J option is always trading a Jaylen option. It's I think we've seen again, I want to be clear here. This is not what I want to do. We're just exploring it. We're looking at works. One for one. Would my, would Milwaukee do a one for one Jalen for Giannis trade? Do you think?

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, after the year Jalen's had, maybe, I don't know. I doubt it though. I think that if, if Milwaukee's trading Giannis, I don't think they're trying to stay Good. I think they're just, I think it's, it's a bottom out situation. Right. So why would you, why would you go get Jalen?

[John Corrales]

How would you do that? Right. So is, is that might not even be an option? Because, I mean, it works, it works straight up. They both work straight up. In fact, Giannis and Jason are in the exact same contract for next season. So I, I, I don't know if either side would do. It's kind of weird to have a player like Jalen is having a first team all NBA season. Giannis, if he had stayed healthy, also having a first team all NBA season. Sure. You're, you're obviously, Giannis is a different player, but not so different. He doesn't shoot. He doesn't shoot the way Jalen shoots. But as much as Jalen attacks, he doesn't attack in exact. Like, no, Giannis. Giannis is just assaulting the rim.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And so there's, there's some overlap, but the Venn diagram, there's space on either side.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

I think a Derrick White, Jason Tatum, Giannis and Titan Kumpo trio would work just fine. Like, and Giannis, if you want to play Giannis at the five, if he's willing to play the five, then that, that changes a whole lot because now you'd have Derek and Jason and Giannis and a shooter, maybe it's still Sam Houser, somebody else out there, maybe it's Ugo, whatever. That group would be ex. That'd be very good. That'd be a very good group with some shooting around. If Giannis, if Giannis is open to that. I don't know if he is, but as he transitions into 32 years old, you know, that's something that he would have to think about. But now you're asking him to play a different game and we're getting into theoreticals. I, I don't, I don't see it, I don't see this being something that the Celtics are really into, especially when you think about how much time Giannis has missed. Those calf strains are scary. No, thank you very.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

I, I don't know if you want to go. If you can piece together something that keeps the Jays together and maybe it's a little painful, but you trust in Joe and you trust in Brad to fill in the gaps. Okay, I'll, I'll, I'll listen to a conversation there. Trading away one of those guys, trading away Jalen, especially after this season where he's figured out, like he and Jason seem to have figured out they're figuring this out together to take one out and put Giannis in. And Giannis is so used to having everything his way.

[Tom Westerholm]

I.

[John Corrales]

It doesn't. I don't think this is something I want to do.

[Tom Westerholm]

No, I have zero interest in it. I'm gonna be honest. I know, like, we didn't. I didn't want to, like, start the pod with, like, nope. But, like, I have no interest in this deal. None at all. I. Listen, the amount of usage that Giannis would get, I would rather have Jalen Brown have that usage. I like the shots better that Jalen Brown gets. I like the offense that the Celtics. I think, like, just take the role that you, like, if. If you want to have. If you want to have a Giannis type player, just give that to Jaylen Brown. Let Jason, like, just do that. Just let him keep getting buckets. Let him be the offensive force. We've seen it work this, this season. We. I think right now we're seeing how good the Jason Jalen thing is. Like, it's. And how good it could be as they both get a little older, a little more perspective, all that stuff. This. This group right here is. Is doing awesome stuff, and I don't see any reason to. Also, not for nothing, you go get Giannis, you know what two of those new roster spots are going to be? They got to be Thanasis and Alex, and, like, gets worse automatically when that happens. No. Thank you. So, yeah, I, I'm. I just. I don't love the idea of replacing Jaylen's offense with Giannis. Like, I. I get. I get the Giannis, and I mean, I get the Giannis. Is. Is Giannis. I mean, he's one of the most dominant, like, you know, forces that the NBA has seen in a long time. But you also hit on it, and I agree with you so much that he. He is 31 and he has had calf strains, and I just. I don't. I don't want to mess with that. Like, I have no interest in messing with that. That's really scary for the price you're giving up. So, yeah, I mean, I, I don't want to. I. I guess if you're the Celtics, like, I understand if you would call Milwaukee and just be like, hey, just out of curiosity, like, what. Yeah, yeah, we have. That you would be interested in. And, and when, you know, Milwaukee's not going to ask for a Milwaukee. He's not going to offer you a bargain, right? Not in this stage. They're going to be like, yeah, we want these crazy things. And I really think that as soon as I heard what Milwaukee was, was saying they would want, I would be like, all right, cool. We might be in touch. And, like, I'm not calling them again. Like, I'm good.

[John Corrales]

Like, we might not be in touch.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, we might not be in touch with God. You know what I mean?

[John Corrales]

I think, I think my final kind of feeling on this is one of the hallmarks of this team, is that when somebody goes down for any period of time, the rest of the team steps up. Right? The rest. Everybody finds a way. This Celtics team has been one of the more versatile teams. And again, Giannis, I am not saying this to diminish his greatness at all. He's an MVP candidate. He's legit. Again, if he didn't get hurt, he was in the MVP conversation.

[Tom Westerholm]

Healthy Giannis is the kind of guy that when you have him up next on your schedule, like, it's, you, you gotta, it just requires so much concentration, like, he requires so much concentration to deal with, and that, that's rare.

[John Corrales]

Right. But healthy Giannis, Healthy Giannis is the question. And especially if you take, like, in either of these scenarios, look at all the versatility that you're giving up.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

The things that have worked so well for the Celtics, you give up Jaylen Brown. Well, if Giannis goes down and now Jaylen's not here, it's Jason. And okay, if, I don't know, are you keeping Derrick White in that scenario? Okay, maybe I can live with that a little bit. But you're, you're, you're losing versatility. If Jason goes down now you're, now you're Giannis and, like, you're losing a lot of versatility. Jason went down, you had Jaylen Brown. You elevated Jalen Brown. You're like, yeah, we're going to do a lot of the same things.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

I, I, I can understand the conversation. I can understand saying, let's, let's, let's ban, you know, bat it around a little bit if you want to do. I didn't, we didn't touch on third or fourth teams. That's, we'll figure that out in the summer there. You could, if you wanted to, spend some time, maybe put out, put together something that's a little bit more palatable with three or four teams. I'm not, I'm not touching that right now. I'm just not, I'm turned off by how Giannis has handled himself. I, I'm turned off by how much control he wants in A in a system, and I don't think the Celtics are going to give him that, and I don't know how happy that's going to make him. I don't like some of the things that you lose, considering that Giannis is his age and his health status. So I don't like it. If this was somehow you could freeze Giannis and the Celtics move ahead three or four years. And Jaylen and Jason are also 33.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, 30.

[John Corrales]

Okay. As a last gasp, we're starting to see the end of the Jason and Jalen thing. And. Okay, now we're not sure, like, oh, God, how. How are we gonna make this work? Ayanna's trade is a swing in that scenario. Yeah, I'll make that swing.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

Jalen and Jason in their primes. Jason looking as good as he has. If Jason didn't look this good, I'd be open to Giannis.

[Tom Westerholm]

Sure.

[John Corrales]

If Jason came back 60 of himself, I'd be open to Giannis. But Jason looking the way he does now, thinking like, man, he's only gonna. He's only gonna get better. Jalen at the height of his powers, everything else working, I don't know.

[Tom Westerholm]

He keeps getting better.

[John Corrales]

So he's getting better, right? Yeah. I'm not. I'm not upsetting this apple cart.

[Tom Westerholm]

No, I'm just.

[John Corrales]

I'm. I'm just not. I kind of like where they are. I like who they have. And it's not like they're a middle of the road team. And I'm saying, like, like, what the. We were back in the day. We're talking about the KG trade back in 2007. This is a championship level team. So I'm not. I'm not willing to take the risk now in 2026 that I might take two years from now, three years from now, you know, so I'm out. I think I'm out on. I'm out with leaving the door unlocked, you know, and if somebody. You want to come in with something that we haven't considered, I'll. I'll listen. But I don't. I don't see it. I just don't see it. So.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, no, I. I really do not see it at all. I'm with you.

[John Corrales]

All right, so there we go. Sorry. Giannis, man, you know, it does suck because I, you know, it's.

[Tom Westerholm]

You've been talking about this for a while. You've been talking about how this would. This would really play well for you for a while. It really would.

[John Corrales]

It would benefit me in a Big way. Yeah, but listen, man, this is me. It's not about me. A lot of people. A lot of people will come out here and. And make a case or something because it would benefit them. This is not about me. It's about the Celtics, about basketball.

[Tom Westerholm]

Missoula would love that answer because it's about. It's. It's about the team. You know,

[John Corrales]

me.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

You know what I mean? So that's. That's how we're gonna. That's where we're gonna leave it. I'll just have to, you know, every once in a while when Adianis is in town or we're on, I'm in Milwaukee, then I'll throw out a Greek question and whatever. Then he'll probably won't even understand me because my Greek is a little rusty. Yeah, whatever, Whatever. I'll just grab a Suvaki and just be happy with that. All right, Tom. Thanks, buddy. Appreciate you, man. I do appreciate all of you. Everybody listening, watching through this crazy week of podcasts. Thank you so, so much, everybody, for being with me again. Get into the comment section. Let me know how you're feeling about all the bonus content. I. I purposely flooded. It's been. It's been a lot to talk about this week anyway, and so when there's a lot, I will drop a few bonus podcasts, but I purposely put a lot out there. I want to see how it would feel for you. How it would feel for me. Let's see how it looks. How do you. How do you feel about it? Is it too much? Are you getting overwhelmed? Is there too much content? Are you missing things? Let me know in the comment section. But, hey, for now, I'm giving you. I'm giving you 10, 11 podcasts this week. So thank you for subscribing. Thank you for listening and watching. Now tell everybody. Share the podcast. Tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast. Here on the Lockdown Podcast Network is your team every day.

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