It's all Greek to me

The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga is apparently coming to a close. But how? That remains a puzzle.

Good morning. Be on high alert for a caravan of Knicks fans traveling to Texas. Let's basketball.

There's building buzz that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be traded in the next 10 days, with Miami and now Boston being the most heavily rumored destinations. The Bucks themselves telegraphed that a trade was likely barring an early commitment from the Greek Freak to sign an extension in October; it doesn't appear any such agreement has been forthcoming. Miami has been rumored as the most likely destination for all of the usual reasons: the Heat are big game hunting – a hobby that has turned up just one major success in the past decade, mind you – and Giannis is said to be interested in landing there. (Given how often the Heat chase stars and how many stars flirt with the Heat, it's pretty remarkable that Jimmy Butler is the only signature fish Miami's landed since the Heatles.)

The Celtics have re-entered the conversation: Jake Fischer reports that Miami is worried about Boston stepping up, and The Athletic's Sam Amick and Eric Nehm report that Boston poses a significant threat to Miami. The centerpiece of a Boston deal would be Jaylen Brown; though the C's can get creative to add new salary thanks to a massive trade exception and movable contracts after shedding so much payroll in their 2-seed "gap year," building a near-term cap sheet that has Jayson Tatum, Giannis and Derrick White seems more responsible than keeping Brown on there, too. It's unclear Milwaukee is actually interested in Brown given he's much closer to Antetokounmpo's age than a draft pick's age, but Brown should have plenty of suitors in a multi-team deal or a spin-off trade. Portland has been mentioned heavily, in part because they control some upcoming Bucks picks. But really, if it's open season for Jaylen Brown after the Giannis domino falls, there should be a robust market for the Celtics or Bucks to leverage, especially with new draft lottery rules punishing hardcore tanking.