The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes has officially come to an end with the Miami Heat's offer finally reaching a point that the Milwaukee Bucks felt comfortable accepting the reality that it was time to move on from their franchise cornerstone.
For the Heat, landing Giannis finally gives Pat Riley the satisfaction of acquiring a superstar talent for the Tyler Herro package that has seemingly been offered for every star that has become available around the league.
As for the Boston Celtics, who missed out on the Greek Freak, Brad Stevens and company will now be forced to pivot.
Of the Celtics potential targets to pivot towards, one name in specific who has routinely come up is New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, who's also been listed as a top target for the Detroit Pistons this offseason.
Detroit has been linked to nearly every top name available, but their reported interest in Murphy III felt different considering his age, upside, and the fact that he'd be the perfect complement to Cade Cunningham.
Losing out on Murphy III alone would sting, but allowing an Eastern Conference contender to land him would make matters even worse.
Celtics are a real threat to steal Trey Murphy III from Pistons
Seeing the Celtics miss out on Giannis was a bittersweet feeling for the Pistons, who got the luxury of seeing the organization miss out on a Top 5 talent, while also potentially fracturing their foundation if Jaylen Brown grows frustrated with the organization.
At the same time, Detroit now has an extra team to monitor as a threat to steal top targets on the trade market, and it starts with Murphy III.
According to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, the Celtics are one of the many teams that have been actively monitoring Murphy's situation in NOLA, and after pursuing Antetokounmpo, it's clear that Boston doesn't feel they're close enough to run things back.
Based on Murphy's breakout season with the Pelicans, averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 47% shooting from field goal range and 37.9% from beyond the arc, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see other contenders eyeing a move for the Virginia product.
However, the possibility of the Pistons watching Murphy land with direct competition on a team that could stand between them and a trip to the NBA Finals is a nightmare scenario.
With the draft on the horizon, Detroit may want to increase their aggression to get a deal done if Murphy is indeed one of their top targets.
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