If the Miami Heat end up losing out in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes for the Boston Celtics, it's hard to envision how it could have ended worse.
According to a recent report from Marc Stein, the Celtics emerged as a real threat to win the Giannis sweepstakes. If this is indeed the case, it would all but confirm the whispers that Jaylen Brown has indeed become available by Boston.
Throughout this entire process, that has been the one constant fear for many Heat fans. Because, in theory, the Celtics do have a path that would exceed the Heat's offer. And that would almost certainly involve Brown becoming the center of a blockbuster deal.
The Heat could be in real danger of missing out on Giannis
Of course, that's a very real question. Even though it would seem that the Celtics have been willing to put Brown on the table for a Giannis trade, there still hasn't been that concrete evidence. Other than this most recent report from Stein.
But, even then, there's a chance this could be considered a play of leverage from the Bucks. At this point, it's difficult to suggest what the play is here. If the Celtics were to find a path to Giannis, they would probably need the help of a third or fourth team to help appease what the Bucks would want in a trade.
Brown, in theory, is a great asset to have. But it's what he would represent in a return that would be more appealing to the Bucks here. And those types of three and four-team trades can be difficult to pull off. That has to be something in mind here, too.
It's not just that the Celtics can simply swap Brown and picks for Giannis, though that may be tantalizing enough for the Bucks to accept. However, you'd imagine that the Bucks would much rather let the Celtics do the dirty work in finding returns for Brown than having to do that later.
How will this all end for Miami?
All in all, it's difficult to predict how this is all going to end for the Heat. With the way things currently stand, the Heat still has a good shot to land Giannis. But if the Celtics have truly emerged as a real threat to the Heat, this entire pursuit may have just shifted in a way Miami just didn't expect.
Again, what is all this Celtics noise? No one truly knows. And I have a feeling we won't know entirely until Giannis is traded one way or another.
Still, even for the most optimistic of Heat fans, it's hard not to have this sick feeling that there's a growing chance that this all ends with them standing at the altar alone once again. And, to make matters much worse, the Celtics could be the ones to steal their bride in the end.
That'd be absolutely gut-wrenching for the Heat.
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