New Giannis Rumors on 'Intensified' Trade Talks and Bucks' Stance on Heat Offer amid Celtics Buzz

Trade negotiations centered around Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo "have definitely intensified over the last seven to 10 days," according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said last month he wants to have the Antetokounmpo situation resolved before the draft. Windhorst reported Monday on SportsCenter that teams around the NBA are working with that as an informal deadline.

It appears Milwaukee is still waiting to see if it can get more than what's presently on the table, per Windhorst:

"The Miami Heat have been trying to get Giannis for months. They have been making offers to the Bucks for months. We have no deal. What we can take from that is the Bucks do not love what the Heat are offering, and they are out looking for other options. They have been looking for other options. The Celtics could get in there. We're going to see how that plays out."

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Sunday on the ALL NBA show (28:48 mark) that people around the league believe Antetokounmpo's future will be settled by the time the draft starts on June 23. There's no consensus on where he winds up, though. The Heat are the favorites, but speculation around the Celtics "has gotten louder and louder and louder."

During an episode of the Hoop Collective podcast earlier this month, Windhorst and colleagues Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon discussed Giannis' trade market. Bontemps argued the Heat's likely package isn't all that enticing, yet Miami could effectively win what's a war of attrition.

The three insiders proceeded to entertain other possible avenues, such as the Celtics, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.

On Boston, swapping Antetokounmpo for Jaylen Brown is easy to pull off because they're making similar money. A team transitioning to a rebuild doesn't have a lot of use for a five-time All-Star entering his age-30 season, though.

The Magic and Cavaliers, meanwhile, have ample reason to hold onto young stars Paolo Banchero and Evan Mobley, respectively, than gamble Giannis is willing to sign a long-term extension. The NBA's draft lottery reforms will make it more difficult for non-marquee franchises such as Orlando and Cleveland to get blue-chip talent.

Milwaukee could wind up having to settle for the Heat's best offer. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Miami would send guard Tyler Herro, center Kel'el Ware and forward Jaime Jacquez Jr. along with "prime draft capital" to the Bucks.

Herro is going to be on an expiring contract, while neither Ware nor Jacquez looks like a perennial All-Star in the making. On the whole, that would be an underwhelming return for a player of Antetokounmpo's pedigree.

If the Bucks stick to their predraft timeline, they may not be able to improve much on Miami's proposal.