With the likelihood of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade increasing, The Ringer's Bill Simmons is skeptical about whether one key player is included in the deal. The Antetokounmpo trade saga has gone on for months and dominated NBA discourse. Several teams have lined up to secure the services of the two-time MVP, but two teams have emerged as serious suitors: the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat

The Heat present an option to acquire promising young players and draft picks for the Bucks to start their rebuild, but the Celtics' package reportedly centers on 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, giving the Bucks a window to continue competing with an all-star-level talent still in his prime.

Simmons holds his skepticism about the inclusion of Hugo Gonzalez. Should the Bucks accept the Celtics' offer for Antetokounmpo, he said on his X account that he believes that Gonzalez wouldn’t be included in the package.

“I’m just gonna say…I would be absolutely shocked if Hugo was/is thrown into any Giannis trade offer. The entire organization is all-in on him – Stevens prob the most. They could not be higher on him. I genuinely don’t believe he’s involved. Guess we’ll see,” Simmons posted.

Gonzalez was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft. In his rookie season, he averaged 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, shot 36.2% from three, and 47.6% from the floor in 14 minutes of play across 74 regular-season games. Although he appeared in four games in the Celtics' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, he only averaged 4.8 minutes.

But Gonzalez did show flashes of upside in a few games in his rookie campaign, including scoring double digits on seven different occasions. Perhaps his best game was against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 2nd. In the Celtics' 108-81 victory, Gonzalez scored 18 points and nabbed 16 rebounds while knocking down three 3-pointers and getting two blocks and three steals.

Gonzalez's upside could be why Simmons believes the Celtics will value him in a potential Antetokounmpo acquisition. If the Bucks' star is truly available, the Celtics will have to decide whether to take the gamble of trading away their young prospect.