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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks talk after the game at Fiserv Forum on April 03, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has urged front office boss Brad Stevens to “make the call” to the Milwaukee Bucks on a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.

On Tuesday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” the 2008 NBA champion said he’d happily give up Jaylen Brown in exchange for the two-time MVP.

“Brad Stevens, damn it, pick up the phone call right now,” Perkins said.

“We’re talking about arguably the second-greatest power forward ever behind Tim Duncan, and one of the most dominant players to ever play the game of basketball,” Perkins said of Antetokounmpo, while urging the Celtics to trade Brown.

Perkins added that Brown—despite claiming he wants to play for Boston for another decade—gave several indications during his controversial Twitch stream that he actually wants out after 10 years with the Celtics.

Celtics Trade Target: Giannis Antetokounmpo

The early NBA playoff exit of the Boston Celtics, coupled with the deep run made by the New York Knicks, has flipped the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market on its head. Suddenly, the C’s have emerged as a viable threat to land “The Greak Freak,” per multiple insiders.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Celtics actually made a run for a Giannis trade before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, when the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves emerged as the most aggressive suitors for the 2021 NBA Finals MVP. Other teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers also reportedly fielded offers to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo.

“The NBA playoffs represent another landmark point for the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes,” Charania wrote on May 11. “Sources said postseason teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers pursued Antetokounmpo at the February deadline, and their finishes to the campaign will play a major factor in their aggressiveness to trade for him.”

Bucks Field Offers for Giannis

A Giannis trade could materialize ahead of the June 23-24 NBA Draft, per Charania.

“The Milwaukee Bucks are open for business on trade calls and offers for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo entering the NBA draft combine and over six weeks away from the draft, league and team sources told ESPN.

“There is expected to be a robust market for Antetokounmpo’s services, and ownership and front office officials expect to maintain their trade deadline asking price of a young blue-chip talent and/or a surplus of draft picks, sources said.”

It’s worth noting that the Celtics will have up to six tradeable first-round picks they can offer the Bucks in a potential Giannis trade, giving them more flexibility than several other reported suitors like the Timberwolves, Lakers and Knicks. However, the Warriors and Heat can both offer attractive pick packages to the Bucks.

The Celtics also have promising young players like Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman and Neemias Queta that can be packaged with Brown and picks.