Celtics Weigh Giannis Gamble as Sixers Stand by Embiid and Knicks Eye Second Apron

The NBA offseason is heating up across the Atlantic Division, with the Boston Celtics still wrestling with whether to pursue Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Philadelphia 76ers signaling they intend to build around an aging but still productive Joel Embiid, and the defending champion New York Knicks facing difficult financial decisions despite their first title in over five decades.

Boston’s High-Stakes Dilemma

Jaylen Brown is coming off arguably the best season of his career, earning All-NBA honors for the second time while remaining firmly in his prime. Trading a player of that caliber for a star on the other side of 30 always carries some risk. At the same time, Boston could be looking at a classic sell-high opportunity.

The Celtics’ season ended in stunning fashion after blowing a 3-1 first-round series lead to Philadelphia. As the series progressed, Boston had no answer for Joel Embiid, who averaged 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists over the final three games. The collapse exposed Boston’s need for more size, physicality, and star power in the frontcourt. There are few players in basketball capable of addressing those shortcomings more dramatically than Antetokounmpo.

Any potential Giannis deal would likely force the Celtics to weigh the value of young assets such as Hugo Gonzalez against the immediate championship upside Antetokounmpo would provide, according to The Athletic’s Jay King.

A Complicated Negotiating Posture From Boston

Despite the persistent reports linking Boston to Antetokounmpo, recent reporting suggests the Celtics are approaching any potential deal cautiously. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Boston is reluctant to attach much more alongside Brown in a potential Antetokounmpo deal. The Celtics understand that any realistic path toward acquiring the two-time MVP likely begins with their 29-year-old All-NBA wing, but they have reportedly established a high threshold for how much additional talent and draft capital they are willing to surrender.

That cautious posture comes as Milwaukee appears to be using a competing offer to drive up the price. The perception around the league is that the Bucks are operating as though they have a passable trade offer from the Miami Heat and are attempting to see if they can improve upon it before the start of the draft, assuming they still view that as a self-imposed deadline. Miami’s offer is reportedly built around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and the 13th overall pick, with more draft picks and players potentially included as well. Fischer has also heard that the Bucks would like to send out Bobby Portis as part of any Giannis trade.

Notably, recent reporting suggests Milwaukee may have genuine interest in Brown himself rather than simply viewing him as a mechanism for acquiring more draft assets — a distinction that, if accurate, could meaningfully shift the calculus for both franchises.

Philadelphia’s Commitment to Embiid

Unlike Boston’s open-ended star pursuit, the Sixers appear to have settled on a clear, if more conservative, plan for their own franchise centerpiece. The Sixers don’t appear to have many alternatives when it comes to Joel Embiid. In a recent mailbag, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer suggested Philadelphia is unlikely to find a trade market for the former MVP given his contract and ongoing injury concerns. Instead, the organization appears committed to finding ways to maximize Embiid’s availability moving forward.

That commitment is grounded in encouraging on-court evidence from this past season. The good news is that when Embiid played for the Sixers this season, he looked nearly as good as ever, at least on the offensive side of the floor, according to Keith Smith’s offseason preview for Spotrac. Paul George also had strong stretches of play after his return from suspension.

However, the team’s options to add quality depth this summer are limited, and it’s likely that they pick up three players on team options, bring back one of Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes, and fill out their remaining roster spots with veteran minimum deals.

New York’s Apron Squeeze

For the Knicks, the challenge looks different entirely: managing the financial consequences of success rather than searching for a path back to contention. Knicks owner James Dolan’s comments about looking to avoid the second apron have raised eyebrows around the league, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who notes that while the penalties for going into the second apron are indeed onerous, teams with the ability to win the championship should be more open to operating in that range.

Six players from this year’s championship team will be free agents this summer: Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, Ariel Hukporti, Mohamed Diawara, and Jeremy Sochan. Edwards predicts that Diawara will be back next season after a strong rookie year, but the futures of others — especially New York’s two highest-profile free agents, Robinson and Shamet — are less clear.

Jose Alvarado picking up his $4.5 million player option would further tighten the financial picture, which is why Edwards speculates that the New York native could decline his option and re-sign on a multiyear deal with a lower starting salary instead.

Ultimately, Dolan’s edict suggests that one or both of Robinson or Shamet won’t be back next season, unless the team trades a player already on a guaranteed deal — or the Knicks owner changes his mind about surpassing the second apron.

An Internal Celtics Question Beyond Brown

Beyond the financial and roster calculations facing all three franchises, Boston’s decision also carries a significant internal relationship dimension tied to the team’s other star. As the Celtics weigh how to improve their roster to compete with the champion Knicks, their decision on whether to enter the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes or keep their Tatum-Brown tandem intact has set the tone for an intriguing offseason of change. Jayson Tatum, who returned from a ruptured Achilles earlier than expected last season, is widely expected to be consulted, even informally, given how directly any Giannis trade would reshape the roster around him.

With the NBA Draft fast approaching and Milwaukee reportedly working against a self-imposed deadline to finalize a deal, the Celtics face a genuinely consequential decision in the coming days: whether to part with their All-NBA wing in pursuit of a two-time MVP, or to keep their existing core intact and look elsewhere to address the frontcourt deficiencies exposed in their playoff collapse against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Sixers appear set on a steadier, lower-variance path centered on maximizing Embiid’s health and availability, while the Knicks will need to navigate one of the more complex financial offseasons of any recent championship team, with at least one significant free agent departure looking increasingly likely as Dolan holds firm on avoiding the second luxury tax apron.