The Boston Celtics are not shopping Jaylen Brown, according to team reporter Gary Washburn. And if that is indeed the case, the Miami Heat should feel that much better about their chances of beating out Boston's bid for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It doesn't guarantee that they will, but the Brown trump card was one scenario that many Heat fans were afraid of. But if the Celtics aren't interested in using him in a deal for Giannis, that limits their ability, significantly, to easily beat out an offer for Miami.
As far as the Heat are concerned, this is a huge revelation when it comes to their pursuit of Giannis. And, depending on who you ask, this could be a potential final boost in the arm that will help them find a path toward getting a deal done.
The Celtics can't beat the Heat's offer without including Jaylen Brown
Miami will almost certainly still have some competition, including from Boston, in its attempt to get a deal done with the Milwaukee Bucks. But, again, if the Celtics aren't ready to include Brown in an offer, it's hard to feel as if they'll have the ability to blow Miami away.
But even though those concerns may slowly be dissipating, that doesn't shift the pressure off of the Heat's front office. After all, they still need to get a deal done.
Looking at the landscape of the league as a whole, there may not be more pressure on any team than the level of pressure that is on the Heat. They need to get this done. Not just because it's the clearest way back to relevance, but also because the fan base has been yearning for a competitive team.
For the bar of excellence that this franchise has set, being a Play-In Tournament team year after year isn't remaining competitive. That's being stuck in mediocrity. And fans are begging for the front office to do something in an attempt to break that.
Even though just a trade for Giannis won't solve all of the Heat's issues, it's one heck of a first step for back to championship contention.
Add in the fact that there are rumblings that Giannis wants to be in Miami, too, and it's easy to see why the pressure on this front office continues to mount. If the Heat fail to make it happen, just as they did with Damian Lillard three years ago, it's going to be difficult to envision how they're going to recover.
Nevertheless, the Heat may have just gotten a huge lifeline in their pursuits. Because if Brown is indeed not being shopped by the Celtics, their odds of making this deal happen just got a significant bump.
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