According to ESPN, Boston has emerged as a leading destination in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. No deal is on the table (that we know of), but the mere possibility might raise a few concerns.
Boston, MA
Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley says ‘it’s all love’ for Boston even with Celtics up
Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley still finds pride in calling Boston his “second home” even as the Celtics have pushed Dallas to the brink of elimination.
After all, Boston is where Dudley developed into a “young man,” turning in a legendary career at Boston College in the 2000s before being taken by Charlotte in the 2007 draft.
Nearly 17 years after leaving Chestnut Hill, Dudley, 38, finds himself up against the toughest challenge he’s faced in the NBA, as a player or coach, one he is embracing.
“Everyone knows Boston fans are one of the best fans in the NBA,” Dudley told the Herald in an exclusive, after the Mavericks’ shoot-around Monday at TD Garden. “I’ve always felt ingrained (here). It’s an honor to play the Celtics.”
“If you want to win a championship you want to go against an organization like this to cement your legacy,” he added. “It’s been fun but it’s been difficult because they’re so good.”
Dallas blew Boston out in Game 4 on Friday, handing the Celtics their worst loss of the season and the third most lopsided defeat in Finals history, but still trail 3-1 in the series. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Dudley said he felt “optimistic” about his team’s prospects in Monday night’s Game 5, while understanding the likelihood that Boston would come out flat, once more, was slim. The Celtics scored just 35 points in Friday’s first half, their lowest point total in any half this season.
“It’s a good nervous,” Dudley said of his team’s overall attitude after a relaxed but playful shoot-around. “You have to be on your heels to play the best, you have to be desperate which we are. We know their crowd is going to feed off them. We have to do the little stuff.”
It didn’t take long for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to make an impression on Dudley, who praised the duo in 2017 during an interview with the Herald when he was in his second stint with the Phoenix Suns.
“This team is setting itself up for the next 10 years,” Dudley said then.
He was right.
The Celtics are excelling, Dudley said, as Tatum and Brown have become “more willing passers.” The duo combined for 32 assists in Games 2 and 3, as Boston took the commanding 3-0 lead.
The additions of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday have solidified the team’s identity, Dudley said.
“The key with them is you can’t give Tatum any easy dunks off of turnovers, and you can’t give any open threes,” Dudley said. “I’d rather have White have the open three than Tatum, to get him going, because these guys are young guys, they want to play well, it’s the NBA Finals.”
“Their job is to score, our job is to make it difficult,” he added. “Even if you make it difficult, they can still make shots.”
After entering free agency in 2019, Dudley was rumored to have been interested in coming back to Boston in what would have been sort of a homecoming for the former BC Eagle. He wanted to provide his veteran presence to a championship-contending team, but the Celtics never made an offer, he said.
Instead, the San Diego native returned to southern California, joining the Lakers prior to the 2019-20 season. Dudley and the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis went on to win the 2020 Finals in the bubble.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd served as an assistant coach on that Lakers squad before he became head coach of Dallas in the 2021-22 season, Dudley’s first year as an assistant.
“Eventually I want to become a head coach,” Dudley told the Herald, “so (I’m) getting the experience with how J-Kidd goes and his game plans, his adjustments, me running the defense, helping with substitutions, getting on Luka (Doncic).”
If the Mavericks want to extend the series against Boston, Dudley said it will come down to guard Kyrie Irving finding himself. The Boston crowd relentlessly slung “Kyrie sucks” chants against the former Celtic in Games 1 and 2, when Irving combined for just 28 points.
Irving woke up when the series shifted to Dallas, scoring 56 points combined in Games 3 and 4.
“The fans are getting on him in a different way than booing. It’s personal,” Dudley said. “When it’s personal you want to be able to respond, sometimes you’re not in the right mind-frame or space, and even he’d tell you he struggled. It’s his job to find ways to overcome it.”
Dudley, on the other hand, acknowledged he has a “great personal connection” with Celtics fans and the city as a whole which he attributed to his four years at BC.
The 15-year NBA veteran ranks sixth all-time in scoring in school history, and Dudley was voted the ACC Player of the Year in 2007 and was a second team All-American.
“They know the accolades I’ve had in Boston, of showing them love,” he said. “I’ve done camps here, I’ve given back here, I’ve given to BC financially. It’s all love when it comes to Boston.”
Boston, MA
MBTA, state transportation chief apologizes for ‘insensitive’ employee hair-pulling incident
Gov. Maura Healey’s Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he has apologized “fully” to the subordinate T employee he’s been accused of pulling the hair of at a work dinner two years ago.
Eng has come under fire for the late 2024 incident this week and admits that it was a “mistake” that has forced him to reflect upon his actions.
“My goal is always to lead with respect and inclusivity,” Eng said in a statement. “I know that this was a mistake, and I own that. I have apologized to this employee fully and have reflected on my actions.
“I am committed to learning from this experience and upholding the highest standards of professionalism in all my interactions as secretary and general manager,” Eng added.
The MBTA said the incident, first reported by Contrarian Boston, occurred in November 2024 at a restaurant where T employees and their spouses were having a team dinner.
WCVB-TV reported that the MBTA employee has told people the interaction with Eng was not welcome and highly inappropriate.
The station described Eng as being accused of committing the hair-pulling faux pas while saying good-bye to the T employee after a work function at a brewery.
The MBTA confirmed that an “insensitive” interaction occurred between Eng and an employee, but downplayed the incident as occurring in the context of a larger conversation about hair from earlier in the evening that included multiple people.
Eng was poking fun at his own baldness when the alleged interaction occurred, according to the MBTA.
“The MBTA is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive workplace environment,” MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. “Leadership plays a critical role in that. Two years ago, General Manager Eng had an insensitive interaction with one of his direct reports. He subsequently apologized directly to this employee.
“Any claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliatory behavior are completely without merit,” Pesaturo added.
Sources have told WCVB-TV that the T employee is involved in negotiations to leave their job with the agency.
Eng is the state’s top transportation official. Healey appointed him as general manager of the MBTA in 2023, and interim transportation secretary in late 2025.
He was paid $509,114 last year, which includes a $30,000 retention payment he is eligible for each year he remains with the T, per his contract and state payroll records. He does not get additional pay for working dual roles in Massachusetts, but continues to take in a roughly $185,000 pension from New York.
Eng, former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, came out of retirement to work for the MBTA, but remains retired with the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System, which is paying him a gross monthly pension of $15,357.39, according to the New York State Comptroller’s office.
Eng, who stepped down from his MTA post in February 2022, retired from New York’s ERS the following month, March 31, 2022, the comptroller’s office said. His monthly pension equates to $184,288 in annual compensation, which he can continue to collect while working at the MBTA, where he is one of the highest-paid transit leaders in the country.
Eng has been credited by state officials for helping to get the MBTA back on track following a federal probe for a number of safety lapses that culminated with a fatality, when a 39-year-old man was dragged to death by a Red Line train in April 2022.
He is under contract with the T through April 10, 2028, with an option for a one-year extension. His base pay for 2026 is $484,206, per state payroll records.
By comparison, Eng was paid $285,254 in his final year leading the Long Island Rail Road, per the New York State Comptroller’s office.
Boston is allowing outdoor drinking in two neighborhoods this summer while the city welcomes a wave of international visitors during the World Cup, Mayor Michelle Wu announced.
The social districts opened Friday and will run through July 31.
Boston public drinking zones
Patrons will be allowed to consume alcoholic beverages outdoors within designated areas at Union and Marshall streets in Downtown Boston’s Block Historic District, as well as on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing.
According to the city, the initiative along with the decision to extend last call until 3 a.m. for the World Cup “is creating vibrancy for patrons and expanding opportunities for Boston businesses during one of the region’s busiest summers in recent years.”
“As Boston welcomes people from around the world to gather and enjoy our city this summer, these new social districts will create even more opportunities to build community and have fun responsibly,” Wu said in a statement. “These districts help us open our streets in a safe environment for residents and visitors to enjoy themselves, ‘sip and stroll,’ and make lasting memories in our beautiful city.”
Last week, Gov. Maura Healey signed a new law that allowed for cities and towns to create designated areas for public drinking.
How drinking zones work
In order to participate, businesses within the designated zones must file a one-day amendment application with the Boston Licensing Board that states they wish to be included in the districts.
Businesses cannot sell alcohol for public consumption until they receive approval from the Licensing Board.
Hours for the Union-Marshall Street Social District will be 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The Temple Place Social District will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Drinks sold for public consumption will be in clear plastic containers with a sticker or other label that shows where they were sold. Businesses cannot sell more than one 16-ounce alcoholic beverage for public consumption per customer in a single transaction.
Outside alcohol cannot be brought into businesses.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to activate our downtown, support businesses, and create a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere in two of Boston’s entertainment districts,” Corean Reynolds, director of nightlife economy, said in a statement. “Both residents and tourists can benefit from these Social Districts. After the summer, we look forward to continuing our work creating a nightlife infrastructure that works for everyone.”
Concern numero uno is obvious. Giannis is one of the handful of players capable of altering the championship picture by himself. Pairing him with Jayson Tatum would create an impressive combination of size, athleticism, versatility, and star power. The question is whether Brad Stevens and the Celtics can actually pull it off without creating a new set of problems for themselves.
Boston’s path to Giannis is narrower than it first appears. The Celtics would almost certainly need to move Jaylen Brown, either directly to Milwaukee or through a third team. Reports indicate Brown has little interest in joining the Bucks (in paraphrase: “Milwaukee?! Yuck!”), which complicates matters further. We start moving from a blockbuster trade to a three-team puzzle involving contracts, draft compensation, and competing agendas.
Even if Boston finds a way through that maze, there’s no guarantee the resulting team will succeed.
Giannis may be a better asset than Brown, but championships are not won by comparing players one-for-one. They’re won by building complete teams (case in point: YOUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS ).
Brown averaged more than 28 points per game last season while defending multiple positions. He can create his own offense, punish smaller defenders, and absorb primary scoring responsibilities when Tatum is unavailable (as Tatum was for most of last season, recovering from a torn Achilles). Replacing him with Giannis raises Boston’s ceiling, perhaps, but also changes the structure of the roster.
The Celtics have spent years building an ecosystem around two star wings. Remove one and the supporting cast suddenly becomes more important, which means Stevens would have many more decisions to make before the start of training camp.
What catches me up is, if the Bucks believed that Giannis has more great years ahead of him, would they so quickly offload him to a conference rival? Might he actually be a distressed asset?
Giannis will turn 32 this season. He has generally been durable over his career but has dealt with increasing lower-body issues (especially calves and knees) in recent years, leading to more missed time. To wit:
• 2022–23: 63 GP / 19 missed
• 2023–24: 73 GP / 9 missed
• 2024–25: 67 GP / 15 missed
• 2025–26: 36 GP / 46 missed
Wouldn’t that just be the worst if the Celts parted with Brown to get him, and then Giannis missed extended time due to injury? Like, the absolute worst? (Insert diabolical laughter.)
A healthy Tatum-Giannis pairing would present unique challenges for New York. The Knicks would need to defend relentless downhill pressure while also containing one of the league’s best bucket creators. But, given their depth, New York may be better equipped than most teams to handle it.
So if the Celtics’ pursuit of Giannis causes an initial flutter of worry, you can let that just drift on by. The scenario only noses toward Red Alert if Boston nabs him while somehow also acquiring a guard who makes up for what they’d lose with Brown’s departure.
But wait! This just in: Chris Haynes has pushed back on the idea that a Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Boston deal is close. He writes that Boston does not appear to be a promising destination and suggested the situation could extend into July. Additionally, Marc Stein reported that the Celtics are frustrated by speculation involving Jaylen Brown, while Brian Windhorst said Brown has not been formally offered in a trade. So, to quote the great William Goldman (also a Knicks fan), “Nobody knows anything.”
It’s worth noting that the Miami Heat are also reportedly in the mix. We’ve heard that the lack of income tax is alluring to the Greek Freak. Plus Florida offers sunny, warm weather, which is not a defining feature of Wisconsin. In the end, though, joining Boston would allow Giannis to keep all his favorite green-themed items in his wardrobe, and shouldn’t looking good be a priority, too?
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