The Boston Celtics may not be the Miami Heat’s biggest threat to Giannis Antetokounmpo after all. According to multiple NBA insiders, the Celtics may not be that serious about Giannis. At least not yet.

Both Brian Windhorst and Chris Haynes have recently pushed back on the idea of the Celtics as a serious landing spot for Giannis. For now. That should be the qualifier here. A lot can change between now and when (or if) Gianns is traded. However, it does seem as if there was some overreaction to speculation about the Celtics potentially checking in on Giannis at the NBA Trade Deadline.

It should be noted that this is prime time for smokescreens across the league. As the start of the offseason draws near, this is only going to be more of the case. Especially when it comes to Giannis, we’re probably going to see a lot more of this before it’s all over.

But, at least for now, Heat fans should get some relief that the Celtics may not seriously be in the Giannis race.

The clock is ticking for the Heat

With roughly a month before the 2026 NBA Draft, the clock is ticking for both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Heat. Considering that Milwaukee seemingly put a “Giannis deadline” on themselves, and that it would be best if Miami makes a move for Giannis sooner rather than later, if these two sides are going to come together on a deal, it has to happen pretty soon.

And that the longer that this stretches, the less confident the Heat have to feel.

Even if it isn’t the Celtics jumping in the last minute, the door does remain open for another team to enter the Giannis sweepstakes in front of the Heat. That has to be the real fear for the front office, even if they feel good about their chances heading into the summer.

The worst part for Miami is that, because of how public all these reported negotiations have been, their offer is not necessarily a mystery. At this point, the Bucks know what the Heat’s offer can/will be, and so do every other team with any level of interest in Giannis.

At their heart of hearts, they know whether they’ll be able to beat out a Heat offer or not.

That includes dark horse teams like the Celtics.

The Giannis saga appears close to its conclusion, especially if the 2026 NBA Draft is somewhat of a soft deadline. But there still remains much to be decided for both the Bucks and the Heat.

Miami is in it; that’s for sure. But, especially with all the smoke going around, who knows what their chances will be to actually hammer down a deal for Giannis. For now, though, maybe the Celtics aren’t in the race just yet.

But that doesn’t mean the Heat are in clear. Not by any means.

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