Celtics concern now lingers for Heat. And who’s in play if Miami keeps 13th pick
Among a handful of teams that could easily top a Heat trade offer for Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics always loomed as the most worrisome of those teams.
And that threat gained steam as a possibility Thursday morning when longtime NBA podcaster Bill Simmons — who has deep connections with the Celtics — said he believes Boston is now in the mix for Antetokounmpo.
In the latest edition of the Bill Simmons Podcast, he said: “I thought Boston was out of this. I know Boston was out of this. I was wondering if they were playing possum or not. I think they were playing a little possum. I think they are in on Giannis Antetokounmpo. I’m not recanting what I said before. I don’t know the reasons for it. Maybe they felt like Miami’s offer is an offer they could beat. Maybe they want to drive the price of Miami’s offer up and don’t really have interest in him.”
Simmons said “Giannis Antetokounmpo is pushing for Miami or Boston. Those are the two locations and [he] really wants to end up in Boston because he would have the best chance to win a title. Boston is not ruling out the idea is my intel. In general, I’m prepared for anything with Boston now.”
Though Simmons’ comments had not been corroborated by any other mainstream media outlet as of midday Thursday, the Celtics have the ability to craft several offers that could trump a Heat offer built around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and as many as three first-round picks.
Boston, hypothetically, could offer six-time All-Star guard Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo.
The Celtics, hypothetically, could acquire Antetokounmpo in a three-team trade by sending Brown to Portland, which — as a result of the 2023 Damian Lillard trade — has the right to swap first-round picks with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030 while also owning the most and least favorable 2029 first of their own, Boston and Milwaukee.
As part of a three-team trade with Antetokounmpo heading to Boston, the Blazers could remove those protections and offer the Bucks a combination of young players (among Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara) and some of their five tradeable first round picks, which includes Orlando’s unprotected 2028 first-round pick. Boston also could get one of those picks, besides landing Antetokounmpo.
The Celtics also could try to form a super team of Jayson Tatum, Brown and Antetokounmpo for a couple of years by offering a package including first-round picks in 2027, 2031 and 2033 (Boston’s three tradeable first round picks), Derrick White, Payton Prichard and others.
Keeping Tatum, Brown and Antetokounmpo together long-term would be challenging and extremely expensive because of the league’s salary cap and tax rules. But it could work for at least a year or two.
The Bucks reportedly are expected to trade Antetokounmpo before the draft. The Heat remains aggressive in its pursuit, and The Athletic has reported that Miami is the front-runner.
What if Heat keeps pick?
The Heat very likely would need to send the 13th overall pick to the Bucks as part of any Antetokounmpo trade. But if the Bucks decide to trade their two-time MVP elsewhere, here’s a look at who the Heat could end up with at No. 13, courtesy of a handful of national mock drafts:
▪ Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor: Houston guard Kingston Flemings, who is in the top 10 of multiple other mock drafts:
“Flemings had a mixed week in Chicago. On one hand, he shot the hell out of the ball and was one of the best interviews with teams. On the other hand, he measured at only 6-3 and 183 pounds with a 6-4 wingspan. There will be a guard or two that slips out of the top 10 on draft night, and in this mock, it’s one of the smallest ones. But if anyone can overcome a lack of size, it’s Flemings. At age 7, he chased a ball into the street and got hit by a car and ended up in the hospital with a fractured hip, a punctured spleen, and road rash.
“He says it changed his outlook on life, and it sure looks like it given the incredible effort and passion he plays with. He plays with surgical midrange touch, an explosive first step and passing vision of a true point guard who can run an offense. The Heat have already shown the value of having a small guard cause havoc on defense with Davion Mitchell, and Flemings could end up even better offensively. So maybe if Flemings lands here, it could end up for the best.”
▪ ESPN’s Jeremy Woo: Alabama guard Labaron Philon:
“Philon measured comparably to the other top guards at the combine, at 6-2½ with a plus-4 wingspan, solid dimensions for a ball handler. He had an outstanding season at Alabama and proved himself as a potent scorer who can generate offense in spurts, helping him earn looks in the back half of the lottery. He can be polarizing for scouts, with questions about his ability to run a team in the half court. The impressive point guard depth in this class makes him more of a target in this range, with a potential domino effect depending how many ball handlers are selected in the top 10.”
▪ CBS’ mock draft: Alabama’s Philon:
“Philon is coming off a breakout season at Alabama in which he averaged 22 points and 5 assists while shooting just under 40% from the 3-point line. I can see Philon going higher than 13 on draft night, but in this mock, Miami doesn’t let Philon fall past them.”
▪ The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Miami picking Washington 6-10 center Hannes Steinbach:
“It’s difficult to get a read on Miami’s intentions. It feels as if the Heat trying to figure out their standing in potential star trades this summer, and whether this selection could be involved in a deal. Speculation about whether they can acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo gets thrown around regularly.
“I’m going with Steinbach here because he ticks a few boxes. First and foremost, the Heat have essentially zero frontcourt depth right now beyond Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. Steinbach, theoretically, can play both at the four and the five if his jumper comes around, although I am a lot more enthusiastic about his fit at the five. Second, the Bucks have also been said to have interest in Steinbach, so if they were to move Giannis to Miami, he could easily be a target if they go with a guard at No. 10.”
▪ Sports Illustrated’s Derek Parker has Philon as the pick:
“Philon isn’t as shiny as the freshmen group due to his being a sophomore, but any likely would’ve been fine with his Year 2 production: 22.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 assists per game. Miami has a habit of making the most of their first-round picks, and Philon ending up as potentially the best pure handler and creator would do wonders for their roster construction as a whole, which is lacking a true lead guard.”
Besides the three aforementioned players, others who have consistently been mocked in the spots five spots before the Heat and five spots after include Arizona shooting guard Brayden Burries, Tennessee center Nate Ament, Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., Michigan power forward Yaxel Lendeborgh, Michigan center Aday Mara, Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr., Texas wing Dailyn Swain, Kentucky power forward Jayden Quaintance, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves and Texas Tech point guard Christian Anderson Jr.
Workouts continue
The Heat has worked out — or plans to work out — many players projected as second-round picks. Another to add to the list, according to a source: St. John’s 6-6 forward Bryce Hopkins, who’s due in next week. He averaged 13.6 points and shot 36.3% on threes last season.
▪ The Heat announced it will hold a draft party at 7 p.m. June 23. The Heat is promoting the event thusly: “Watch as Miami’s draft pick takes the stage, then enjoy a night of fan-first experiences like autographed item giveaways, interactive photo opps, and special appearances by Burnie, the Heat Dancers and your favorite gameday faces.”
There is no charge, but tickets must be secured in advance, available at https://www.gofevo.com/event/2026draft87.
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 12:15 PM.
