Report: Portland could help move Giannis to Boston in a blockbuster NBA trade

Portland Trail Blazers, the team of Israeli guard Deni Avdija, have emerged as a possible third team in a major NBA trade scenario involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown. The report says the Blazers could help facilitate Antetokounmpo’s move from Milwaukee to Boston, and in exchange receive Brown.

According to writer Evan Sidery, Portland is willing to serve as the additional team that would make a Giannis-to-Celtics deal possible. The article says the Blazers have repeatedly been mentioned in trade rumors because they control significant draft assets tied to the Bucks. The exact structure of any deal is still unclear.

If Portland joins such a trade, the team is expected to give up its draft assets and likely also Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant. The Bucks are also pressing for Portland to include Scoot Henderson, according to the report.

Marc Stein also addressed the situation, saying Miami remains the most likely destination for Antetokounmpo, but that Brown’s future could affect the outcome. Stein said that if Milwaukee and Boston’s talks become serious, Portland, Houston and Atlanta are the leading candidates to absorb Brown as a third team.