A new report suggests the willingness to trade Jaylen Brown may not be the biggest internal hurdle for the Boston Celtics in making a blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
We might be just days away from a trade that sees the Milwaukee Bucks legend wearing a different uniform to start the 2026-27 NBA season. After listening to trade offers in February, all signs point to the team trading the 10-time All-Star so they can have multiple first-round picks in next week’s NBA Draft. An event that basketball pundits suggest has one of the most talent-rich classes in years.
As we get closer to a potential deal, it seems like the Celtics and the Miami Heat are the likely landing spots. Yet, when it comes to Boston, some believe a hesitancy to trade Brown may be the biggest holdup in the front office actually pulling the trigger on a deal. However, that may not be the most notable problem within the organization when it comes to finalizing a trade.
In a new edition of the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed out that Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla may not prefer to make a trade for Antetokounmpo because, as he puts it, “Mazzulla is dogmatic about the way he wants to play basketball. Arguably, dogmatic to a fault.”
It was a comment where fellow NBA insider Tim Bontemps responded by saying it isn’t arguable that Mazzulla is a stickler for his style of play.
It is hard to debate that Mazzulla’s style doesn’t work when he led the Celtics to an NBA title two years ago and was named Coach of the Year this season. Nevertheless, it didn’t work the last two years, and getting a legend like Antetokounmpo with some prime years left should mean adjusting his style away from a heavy three-point shooting approach and rounding out their interior game for the two-time MVP.
Windhorst said he believes Mazzulla can make the changes, but he also noted that the idea of asking the coach to “divorce” himself from a system he is “married” to won’t be easy. Furthermore, Mazzulla was President Brad Stevens’ hand-picked successor when Ime Udoka departed the organization after an affair with a staffer several years ago.
Would the former head coach request his pick to make major changes to a style that has worked just for one player? It may be the biggest hurdle in the Celtics’ completing an Antetokounmpo trade, and one they may not be willing to overcome.
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