Simmons said \u201cGiannis 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\u2019m prepared for anything with Boston now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though Simmons\u2019 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\u2019el Ware and as many as three first-round picks.<\/p>\n
Boston, hypothetically, could offer six-time All-Star guard Jaylen Brown for Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n
The Celtics, hypothetically, could acquire Antetokounmpo in a three-team trade by sending Brown to Portland, which \u2014 as a result of the 2023 Damian Lillard trade \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s unprotected 2028 first-round pick. Boston also could get one of those picks, besides landing Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s three tradeable first round picks), Derrick White, Payton Prichard and others.<\/p>\n
Keeping Tatum, Brown and Antetokounmpo together long-term would be challenging and extremely expensive because of the league\u2019s salary cap and tax rules. But it could work for at least a year or two.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
What if Heat keeps pick?<\/p>\n
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\u2019s a look at who the Heat could end up with at No. 13, courtesy of a handful of national mock drafts:<\/p>\n
\u25aa Yahoo\u2019s Kevin O\u2019Connor:<\/a> Houston guard Kingston Flemings, who is in the top 10 of multiple other mock drafts:<\/p>\n \u201cFlemings 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\u2019s one of the smallest ones. But if anyone can overcome a lack of size, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25aa ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Woo: Alabama guard Labaron Philon:<\/p>\n \u201cPhilon measured comparably to the other top guards at the combine, at 6-2\u00bd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25aa CBS\u2019 mock draft: Alabama\u2019s Philon:<\/p>\n \u201cPhilon 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\u2019t let Philon fall past them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25aa The Athletic\u2019s Sam Vecenie<\/a> has Miami picking Washington 6-10 center Hannes Steinbach:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to get a read on Miami\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019el 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25aa Sports Illustrated\u2019s Derek Parker<\/a> has Philon as the pick:<\/p>\n \u201cPhilon isn\u2019t as shiny as the freshmen group due to his being a sophomore, but any likely would\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Workouts continue<\/p>\n The Heat has worked out \u2014 or plans to work out \u2014 many players projected as second-round picks. Another to add to the list, according to a source: St. John\u2019s 6-6 forward Bryce Hopkins, who\u2019s due in next week. He averaged 13.6 points and shot 36.3% on threes last season.<\/p>\n \u25aa The Heat announced it will hold a draft party at 7 p.m. June 23. The Heat is promoting the event thusly: \u201cWatch as Miami\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n There is no charge, but tickets must be secured in advance, available at https:\/\/www.gofevo.com\/event\/2026draft87<\/a>.<\/p>\n This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 12:15 PM.<\/p>\n
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