The 2026 NBA Draft is less than a week away, and trade rumors are heating up. All eyes are on the Milwaukee Bucks and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is expected to be dealt this summer. At the same time, numerous other teams will be active in the weeks ahead.
That includes the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, who finished first and second, respectively, in the Eastern Conference last season, but had disappointing showings in the postseason. Both teams know they need to shake things up to contend with the reigning champion New York Knicks.
Ahead of the draft and the ensuing free agency period, let’s take a look at some of the latest updates on the trade market.
Bucks’ ask for Giannis ‘unrealistic’
The Bucks would prefer to keep Antetokounmpo, but if he makes it clear that he won’t sign an extension in October, they will trade him rather than let him walk in free agency for nothing next summer. And if they are forced to trade one of the best players in franchise history, they’ll want a major return to jumpstart their rebuild.
But according to Jake Fischer, some teams think the Bucks are asking for too much. Here’s his latest on the Antetokounmpo trade talks:
I heard the same word several times this week when talking to NBA personnel from teams that have engaged with the Bucks on a potential Antetokounmpo deal. Several sources have conveyed that Milwaukee GM Jon Horst has established especially ambitious asking prices in Giannis talks.
The word that keeps coming back: “Unrealistic.”
The Bucks naturally want as much as they can if they’re parting with their Face of the Franchise, so what constitutes unrealistic? Sources say Milwaukee has been asking teams for returns that would leave any club acquiring Antetokounmpo too barren to contend for a championship. Which is the precise opportunity Giannis is known to be seeking if he’s going to finally leave Brewtown after 13 seasons and commit to a long-term contract extension with a new team.
The Bucks should ask for a massive return for Antetokounmpo, who, despite some injuries in recent years, remains one of the best players in the NBA. But they may ultimately have to accept a lesser deal because Antetokounmpo has just one guaranteed year left on his deal, and the market for him isn’t the same as it would have been last summer or two years ago.
If the Bucks do end up trading Antetokounmpo, it will be fascinating to see the actual return.
NBA trade rumors: Latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo, plus possible backup plans for Celtics, Heat, Wolves
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Pistons’ Stewart expecting to be moved
Isaiah Stewart was one of the best backup bigs in the league last season, when he averaged 10 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 55% shooting. He was one of several Pistons who struggled in the playoffs, however. He put up just four points and 2.4 rebounds in the postseason and had largely lost his spot in the rotation to Paul Reed by the end of the second round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which the Pistons lost in seven games.
The Pistons are expected to make big changes this summer after their early exit, and Stewart could be on the move. In fact, he’s expecting to leave Detroit, according to Fischer:
League sources say that the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart is not merely available but outright bracing for a trade that sends him elsewhere this summer as part of any move that the Pistons make to bolster their shooting and playmaking depth.
Despite his poor showing in the playoffs, the 25-year-old Stewart will have suitors in part because of his reasonable contract, which has two guaranteed years at $15 million per year, including a team option for 2027-28. Per Fischer, the Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs have all expressed interest in Stewart.
Celtics expected to be active this summer
The Celtics are in the mix for Antetokounmpo, but it’s unclear if they’ll be willing to make that big of a swing, which almost certainly would require parting ways with franchise pillar Jaylen Brown. Derrick White has also been the subject of rumors. Boston is expected to be active this summer, per Fischer.
I already reported on Wednesday night that Boston has shown interest in moving up from its No. 27 slot in the draft. And while I don’t believe that the Celtics are actively shopping Brown or Derrick White, it’s certainly believed that they have listened on trade inquires for both key cogs from the title team more intently than ever before.
As for White: It would also be a surprise, sources say, if the Celtics cut ties with him. The 31-year-old is a beloved member of the organization on top of the fact that his two-way backcourt work has put him in annual All-Star contention as a Celtic.
Everyone expected last season to be a “gap year” for the Celtics. But despite losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford and playing the first 62 games without Jayson Tatum, they won 56 games and finished second in the Eastern Conference. They blew a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, however, which led president Brad Stevens to call for an “honest assessment” of the roster.
“Our margin for error needs to get bigger, and at the same time, I don’t think we’re, like, way far away,” Stevens said in May. “But we’ve lived it here. Again, this is where the honest assessment part has got to come in, right? We’ve been to six Eastern Conference finals, a couple Finals in the last few years. We’ve won one. And when you get beat in the first round, you’re not there. …
“You have to consider the other teams that are at those levels, and I think the other thing that you have to consider, especially for next year, is there were a lot of teams in the NBA that were playing for draft positioning this year,” Stevens continued. “That will not be the case next year. So, the league’s gonna be a lot better. The regular season could be a lot harder, and it will probably give you a better indication of what everybody really is.”