Ten games into the season, the two roads out of the summer’s Giannis Antetokounmpo chase have led to very different places. The Boston Celtics, who lost out on the two-time MVP in June and then traded Jaylen Brown for a package built around Paul George, are 8-2 and second in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo’s Miami Heat are 4-6 and sit in eighth place. NBA analyst Bill Simmons weighed those two roads and came down firmly on the side of the one Boston took, draft picks and all.
Advertisement
Bill Simmons Weighs Paul George and Picks Against Giannis Antetokounmpo
During the latest episode of his podcast, Simmons poured cold water on the idea that Boston missed out on “The Greek Freak.”
“Honestly, they made the right move with Giannis,” Simmons said. “I don’t think they wanted him … he’s not the same guy that he was five years ago.”
Simmons pushed back hard against the narrative that the Celtics were outbid by Miami. His comparison was not just George against Antetokounmpo. He set two full packages side by side, with first-round picks on both sides of the ledger.
Advertisement
The cost side of that ledger goes back to June, when the Milwaukee Bucks agreed to send Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, and draft picks.
Meanwhile, Boston’s own offer was reportedly built around Brown and two first-round picks.
The Celtics eventually sent Brown, fresh off a career-high 28.7 points per game, to the Philadelphia 76ers for George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. The 76ers’ 2031 first-rounder comes to Boston with no protections.
Advertisement
The Ringer founder doubled down on his stance on X after watching the opening stretch of the 2026-27 NBA season, which sees Boston riding high with George integrating well alongside Jayson Tatum.
“The point was, after watching the NBA for 3 weeks, I’d much rather have Paul George and 2 extra firsts (including a 2028 swap with Clips) than Giannis plus losing 2 firsts,” Simmons clarified. “It’s not even a debate.”
The 2028 pick is the swap Simmons mentioned, and it comes with conditions. If the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-rounder lands outside the top 16, Boston gets it outright.
Advertisement
If it lands in the top 16, the Celtics instead get the right to trade the less favorable of their own 2028 first and the San Antonio Spurs’ for the Clippers’ pick, or for Philadelphia’s if that one falls in the top eight and is the better of the two. That leaves the 2031 pick as the only one of the two added firsts that arrives no matter what.
When it comes to the team fit for both players, the scale arguably tips in Boston’s favor, for now. The Celtics’ offense needs versatile wing play, and George sliding into Brown’s vacated spot bodes well for the team’s spacing needs.
On the other hand, Miami is tasked with building a system that maximizes Antetokounmpo’s downhill rim pressure without clogging the paint. The Heat have surrendered depth to land their superstar, a sacrifice Boston was not too keen to make.
The Celtics have won each of their last three games, beating the Bucks twice and routing the Charlotte Hornets 119-80, while the Heat went 2-1 in the same stretch, with the loss coming 120-100 on the road against the Golden State Warriors.
Advertisement
The bigger individual numbers belong to Antetokounmpo. Over Miami’s last three contests, the Heat star averaged 25.3 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.
George averaged 20.0 points over Boston’s last three outings, shooting 22-for-47 from the field and 12-of-24 from 3.
Boston’s start has not rested on George alone. Against Charlotte, he had 8 points on 3-for-11 shooting while Jayson Tatum scored 34 in the rout. George bounced back Sunday with 27 points in a 117-97 win in Milwaukee.
Advertisement
Part of Simmons’ case will take years to settle because Boston’s added first-round assets are Philadelphia’s unprotected 2031 pick and the conditional 2028 Clippers pick. The player side gets tested sooner, when the Heat come to TD Garden on Dec. 25.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
