Heat, Celtics viewed as preferred landing spots for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo still hasn’t requested a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks, but speculation about his future continues to intensify around the league.

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are currently believed to sit near the top of Antetokounmpo’s preferred destinations if Milwaukee eventually explores trade scenarios.

Miami’s interest is hardly new.

The Heat have long been connected to the two-time MVP, and Stein reports the expectation around the league is that Miami would engage Milwaukee in “substantive” discussions if Antetokounmpo truly became available.

Boston is a more complicated situation.

Stein notes it remains unclear how eager the Celtics would be to pursue a franchise-altering move that would almost certainly require Jaylen Brown to be part of the outgoing package. Any realistic framework would likely involve at least three teams as well.

According to Stein, Antetokounmpo is believed to prefer remaining in the Eastern Conference rather than moving West, where the rising Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are increasingly viewed as long-term powers because of their young cores.

The Dallas Mavericks also remain an interesting subplot in all of this.

Stein reports Antetokounmpo has long been intrigued by the possibility of playing in Dallas, originally because of the opportunity to team up with Luka Doncic before Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025.

Antetokounmpo’s close relationship with former Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also helped fuel that interest over the years. Kidd has since exited Dallas, though Stein reports that may not completely eliminate the Mavericks as a possibility.

New Dallas president Masai Ujiri also has longstanding ties to Antetokounmpo dating back to Ujiri’s time running the Toronto Raptors, another team frequently linked to Giannis rumors in previous years.

Still, though, Stein reiterates that Antetokounmpo’s preference appears centered on Eastern Conference contenders.

That matters because the Bucks star is expected to have significant leverage in any discussions. Antetokounmpo has just one guaranteed season remaining on his contract and becomes extension-eligible in October, meaning any team trading for him would almost certainly want assurances about his long-term future before making a blockbuster move.