Celtics now – Bill Simmons says his earlier skepticism about the Boston Celtics’ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo has shifted. In a new episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” he suggests Boston may be “playing a little possum” and “in on Giannis,” even as he notes the trade
When Bill Simmons started talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo last month, the message carried a kind of cool distance—Boston, he suggested, might not actually want to go after the two-time MVP.
“I think Giannis wants to go to Boston and I’m not sure Boston wants Giannis,” Simmons said then. “I think that’s the push and pull right now.”
But by June 11, 2026, the tone sounded different. On the latest episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast”—most of which Simmons spent on the Knicks’ improbable comeback win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals—he turned back to the Celtics and Antetokounmpo and offered a sharper read.
“I thought Boston was out of this,” Simmons said. “I know Boston was out of this. I was wondering if they were playing possum or not.”
Then came the shift: “I think they were playing a little possum. I think they are in on Giannis.”
Simmons was careful not to fully back away from what he’d said before. “I’m not recanting what I said before,” he said. “I don’t know the reasons for it.” He offered a few possibilities. including the idea that Boston might believe it can beat Miami’s offer—or that it might be trying to drive up the price without necessarily being fully committed.
“Maybe they felt like Miami’s offer is an offer they could beat,” Simmons said. “Maybe they want to drive the price of Miami’s offer up and don’t really have interest in him.”
The Celtics’ interest, even if it has grown, still runs into one hard reality: it remains unclear whether Boston would be willing to pay the “steep asking price” it would take to pry Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee.
Simmons’ other insistence stayed steady, though. He said the 31-year-old forward has made it clear he’d welcome a trade to a contending team in the East, and that Boston remains in the picture.
“Giannis is pushing for Miami or Boston,” Simmons added. “Those are the two locations and [he] really wants to end up in Boston because he would have the best chance to win a title.”
He also said Boston’s stance has not closed the door. “Boston is not ruling out the idea, is my intel,” Simmons said. “In general, I’m prepared for anything with Boston now.”
Simmons isn’t the only figure suggesting the Celtics could be making a late push. In a Substack post Thursday, NBA writer Jake Fischer pointed to Boston’s assets and argued they show the franchise can become a real factor.
Fischer wrote that “rival teams. furthermore. continue to point to Boston’s various assets as illustrating its ability to become a factor here.” He also noted that Antetokounmpo “shares a skills coach with Jayson Tatum (Drew Hanlen)” and that he’s believed to have “a level of interest in landing with the Celtics on top of his well-chronicled affinity for Miami.”.
Fischer concluded that “This much is clear: Boston is believed to be a potential suitor that genuinely concerns Miami.”
For now, the Celtics’ most significant role in the Giannis sweepstakes may be less about what they’ll do—and more about when they’ll decide how far they’re willing to go.
Boston Celtics Bill Simmons Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Miami Heat NBA trade rumors Jayson Tatum Drew Hanlen