The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga seems to be finally entering the final hours, with ESPN's NBA Insider Shams Charania setting the record straight that the two-time MVP would indeed be moved before Tuesday's NBA Draft.
Charania directly listed the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics as the two finalists to acquire the Greek Freak, as well as stating that any deal would be a two-team negotiation, which directly eliminates the weekend rumor of Tyler Herro landing in the Motor City.
Beyond Charania's intel, NBA Insider Marc Stein revealed that the Celtics emerged over the weekend with a "real shot" to win the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes with a Jaylen Brown-centric offer.
Stein revealing that Boston is officially offering Jaylen Brown in a potential deal was major, considering the Celtics have seemingly been doing damage control over the last week to deny any offers, including the team's star forward, which was expected unless a deal got near the finish line.
And considering these reports came days after the rumor about a potential three-team deal that would land Herro with the Detroit Pistons, it feels like all the momentum of this hypothetical trade has hit a dead end.
For some, this hypothetical deal not coming to fruition is frustrating; however, the Celtics' aggressive pursuit of Giannis may have saved the team from making a mistake that altered their offseason.
Landing Herro is appealing, but there's bigger moves to be made
Pairing a shooting threat like Herro alongside Cade Cunningham is definitely appealing, especially if Trajan Langdon managed to land the guard at a discounted price.
Nonetheless, reports from the weekend suggested that the "discounted price" for the Pistons would cost them Ron Holland II, along with players like Isaiah Stewart, Duncan Robinson, and/or Caris LeVert.
Not to mention, Detroit would have likely been required to add additional draft compensation to help the Heat get a deal over the finish line.
Considering the assets Detroit would have been forced to give up, it feels like using that ammunition to land a player like Herro is far less attractive than it would be to make a big swing for someone like Trey Murphy III.
There's also the reality that landing Herro's $33 million contract comes with the burden of extension talks and financial restrictions that hinder what else the team can do this offseason.
It doesn't feel like the Pistons are just a Tyler Herro away from an NBA championship, and given all the factors, landing the playmaker from the Heat isn't the big swing that can get Detroit over the hump.
Add us as a preferred source on Google