Basketball Wiretap

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been trending towards a trade to the Miami Heat over the past few days, but Bill Simmons indicated on his Thursday podcast that he's received information that the Boston Celtics have reemerged as a potential destination. 

Antetokounmpo is believed to have a preference to remain in the Eastern Conference with the Celtics and Heat on his radar. Simmons had previously indicated that a trade for Antetokounmpo by the Celtics was unlikely and that the front office had a preference to keep their core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White together.

"I thought Boston was out of this," said Simmons. "I know Boston was out of this. And I was wondering if they were playing possum or now. I think they were playing a little possum. I think they're in on Giannis.

"I'm not recanting what I said before. I don't really know the reasons for it. Maybe they felt like Miami's offer was an offer they can beat? Maybe they want to drive up the price of Miami's offer up and they don't actually have interest in him.

"But as I said over and over again, Giannis is pushing for Miami and Boston—those are the two locations. And really wants to end up in Boston because he would have the best chance to win a title. And I think Boston is not ruling out the idea. That's my intel.

"And in general I'm prepared for anything with Boston now. I think you can basically say... it goes back to the Brad Stevens' speech right after the Philly series when he was really mad about the result and really questioning whether this was the right style and whether they needed to be in the paint more. I wonder if they're going to use this opportunity with the assets they have and the $27 million trade exception to completely change what this team looks like.

"Who knows? They may not do anything. But I thought they were sitting out this Giannis thing, but I no longer think that. That's all I'm going to say."

On draft night, the Celtics could trade up to four future first round picks and two swaps, per our Tradeable Picks page.

A trade involving Antetokounmpo has been expected to be executed by the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday, June 23rd.

On Thursday, Jake Fischer reported that he has also received information that the Celtics are lurking as a potential Antetokounmpo destination. The Celtics have yet to engage in any meaningful conversations with the Bucks, but their potential to get involved "genuinely concerns Miami."

OG Anunoby tipped in a missed Jalen Brunson three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining as the New York Knicks completed a record 29-point comeback to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 Wednesday night, taking a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.

The rally is the largest in NBA Finals history, surpassing the 24-point deficit Boston Celtics overcame against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. The Spurs led 81-52 with 9:40 remaining in the third quarter before the Knicks outscored them 58-30 the rest of the way.

Brunson finished with 36 points and Anunoby added 33, snatching the rebound off Brunson's long attempt that bounced off the front of the rim and tapping it in with his right hand.

"I don't know if there was a play bigger than any other play in the history of Knicks basketball," said Knicks coach Mike Brown. "I told OG as big, as strong, as athletic as he is, he's got to be a monster on the offensive glass tonight."

San Antonio shot 11-for-16 from three in the first half before going ice cold, finishing 3-for-17 beyond the arc after halftime.

"We got on our heels, we missed some shots," said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. "It's disappointing, to say the least."

Victor Wembanyama posted 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot 9-for-25 from the field and missed two free throws with 1:47 left and San Antonio leading 104-103. Dylan Harper scored 21 points while De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each added 18 for the Spurs.

"I can't really explain it right now," said Wembanyama. "We clearly weren't the most hungry in the second half."

Game 5 is Saturday night in San Antonio with the Spurs favored by 5.5 points.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors were both prominent suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo in February ahead of the trade deadline when the Milwaukee Bucks briefly opened trade discussions, but neither team has factored into recent talks, sources tell Jake Fischer.

The Orlando Magic have also not engaged in meaningful recent dialogue with the Bucks, despite notable ties to Antetokounmpo. Magic senior advisor John Hammond and president of basketball Jeff Weltman originally drafted Antetokounmpo during their time with Milwaukee.

Incoming Magic head coach Sean Sweeney, hired away from the San Antonio Spurs, also worked closely with Antetokounmpo as a Bucks assistant for four seasons early in his career.

The Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers have emerged as the two most active teams in trade discussions to this point. The Heat are the team with the strongest mutual interest as there is skepticism that Antetokounmpo would commit to the Blazers long-term. The Boston Celtics remain on the periphery as a potential entrant into the conversation.

Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded by draft night on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Victor Wembanyama was called for his second flagrant foul of the playoffs in the third quarter of the San Antonio Spurs' loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Wembanyama, who has three flagrant foul points, is one point away from an automatic suspension.

Wembanyama avoided a flagrant foul for shoving Jalen Brunson in Game 3. 

Jalen Duren is expected to sign a contract in restricted free agency with an annual average value of more than $30 million per season, sources tell ESPN's Tim Bontemps. Two weeks ago Bontemps reported that while Duren was likely to sign for the 30 percent Rose rule that he qualified for, he could still command a contract that approaches $40 million per season.

Duren and the Detroit Pistons were never close to a contract extension last year and his decision to bet on himself appeared to be a wise one after he became an All-NBA center. But Duren's poor play in the playoffs have tempered the expectations for his contract.

In 70 regular season games, Duren averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 28.2 minutes with a PER of 25.8. But in 14 playoff games, Duren averaged just 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists with a PER of 14.3.

Duren will only be playing in his age 22 season on his next contract and will certainly have more opportunities to make more of an impact in the playoffs.

Duren was the 13th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Memphis.

The Sacramento Kings have made clear they will require first-round draft capital in any deal involving Domantas Sabonis. Talks with the Charlotte Hornets have been preliminary, centered on the Kings' interest in Charlotte's No. 14 or No. 18 pick. The Hornets are not currently willing to part with either selection in tree talks.

Sacramento has also expressed interest in the Toronto Raptors' pick at No. 19. Whether Toronto will re-engage remains unclear, though the Raptors did pursue Sabonis ahead of the in-season trade deadline in February.

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star and three-time league rebounding leader, would represent a significant acquisition for any contending roster. The Kings also hope to absorb as little future salary as possible in any potential deal. The Raptors were active in trade talks in February, but struggled to find takers for players on multi-year salaries such as Jakob Poeltl. 

That dynamic makes Charlotte's Miles Bridges an attractive trade target for Sacramento. Bridges is now on an expiring contract valued at just under $23 million for next season, giving him a broader trade market than he had in February

OG Anunoby ranks first in the 2026 NBA Finals in Player Efficiency Rating at 25.7 after his performance in the New York Knicks' comeback win in Game 4. Anunoby entered the game ranked second behind Victor Wembanyama with a mark of 23.8. Wembanyama dropped from 26.5 to 24.0 with his Game 4 performance.

Jalen Brunson played his game of the series in Game 4 and jumped up from 13.9 to 17.9 as he strengthens his analytical argument for Finals MVP should the Knicks close out the series. 

2026 NBA Finals PER (Through Game 4):
1. OG Anunoby: 25.7
2. Victor Wembanyama: 24.0
3. Karl-Anthony Towns: 21.0
4. Jalen Brunson: 17.9
5. Dylan Harper 16.2
6. Mitchell Robinson: 15.6
7. Josh Hart: 15.2
8. Stephon Castle: 15.1
9. Devin Vassell: 14.7
10. Carter Bryant: 14.7
11. Jose Alvarado: 13.4
12. Julian Champagnie: 13.4
13.  Luke Korent: 12.9
14. Mikal Bridges: 11.5
15. De'Aaron Fox: 10.9
16. Landry Shamet: 6.1
17. Keldon Johnson: 3.9
18. Miles McBride: -0.4

OG Anunoby tipped in a missed Jalen Brunson three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining Wednesday as the New York Knicks completed a record 29-point comeback to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106, taking a 3-1 NBA Finals lead.

The Knicks entered Game 4 at 62 percent on Polymarket's championship market. The Spurs flipped it to as high as 64 percent in their favor during their commanding lead before New York's rally pushed the Knicks to 82 percent, needing one win in three remaining games to claim their first title since 1973.

Brunson's Finals MVP probability climbed from 45 percent to 60 percent on Polymarket following his 36-point performance. Anunoby finished with 33 points to go with game-winner.

No team had overcome a deficit larger than 24 points in an NBA Finals game since the Boston Celtics did it against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008, the furthest back the league's detailed play-by-play records extend. The Spurs pushed their advantage to 81-52 early in the third quarter before New York began its rally.

Even as the fourth quarter was getting underway, the Spurs were at a 99.6 percent win probability with a 95-75 lead. 

Game 5 is Saturday night in San Antonio with the Spurs favored by 5.5 points.

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Paris Basketball head coach Julius Thomas is attracting interest from NBA teams, according to reports out of Greece.

Thomas reportedly has one offer to join the Blazers staff should Tiago Splitter be named the head coach of the team.

The 28-year-old worked with Splitter in Paris during the 2024-25 season.

Thomas is expected to make a decision after Paris Basketball completes its domestic season.

On this week's episode of Good Take, Wes Goldberg and Mike Shearer react to the insane Game 4 of the NBA Finals with the New York Knicks' improbable comeback over the San Antonio Spurs before bringing their best NBA takes of the week.

Mike argues that the 2024 NBA Draft could make history for all the wrong reasons. Could this class produce just one All-Star, making it the weakest star-producing draft class in generations? Then Wes counters with a draft philosophy take of his own. As roster construction becomes increasingly difficult, are 3-and-D wings the single safest and smartest first-round investment an NBA team can make? The guys discuss player development, trade value, roster flexibility and why players in the Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane mold have become some of the league's most valuable assets.

Finally, it's time for another edition of Summer 3-Way, where Wes and Mike build a three-step plan to fix the Los Angeles Clippers. Should the Clippers stay patient with Kawhi Leonard? What should they do in the draft? And how can they maximize the roster after already making major moves at the trade deadline?

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