Cleveland Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslam pulled off two major deals this month. On 1 June, the Browns traded defensive end Myles Garrett to the LA Rams.

And on Monday, June 22, Haslam, who also co-owns the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, traded star Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. 

According to sports writer Kevin O’Connor, the Boston Celtics were also in the mix, trying to get Antetokounmpo. However, Haslam wanted consistency out of the trade. Having learnt his lesson from the Garrett trade, he decided to trade with the Miami Heat. 

“Sources say Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam was a driving force in taking the Heat deal for Giannis over Boston’s offer,” wrote O’Connor. “Haslam didn’t want to risk Jaylen Brown wanting out of Milwaukee in a year after dealing with Giannis and Myles Garrett trade demands.”

O’Connor added that in exchange for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, the Bucs will receive Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a second-round selection and a pick swap.

Brandon Little of AtoZ Sports reported that when Garrett asked out of Cleveland last year, the Browns tried to patch things up and gave him a new contract of $120 million. But a year later, Garrett remained dissatisfied, and the Browns had to send him to the LA Rams.

Per a report by The Athletic, the Bucs were intrigued by the idea of Jaylen Brown joining the team, but had questions regarding his long-term commitment. Haslam also had concerns about Brown following Giannis and Garrett's footsteps and asking for an out. 

Little added that there were signs of Antetokounmpo signing with another team in the near future. Haslam didn't want to deal with making another trade for Brown or Antetokounmpo a year later, as was the case with Garrett.

Mike Chiari of the Bleacher Report concluded, saying that while the Bucs no longer have superstars like Antetokounmpo on the roster, this trade gives the team stability and flexibility for the team in the future. 

NFL analyst takes issue with Haslam’s role in the Antetokounmpo trade

Not everyone was in favor of Jimmy Haslam's decision to send NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. NFL analyst Mike Florio ripped into Haslam on his show, Pro Football Talk. 

“But what makes Jimmy Hasslam fit to make personnel decisions, trade decisions, roster decisions about a football team or a basketball team. He’s got no education, skills, or experience. I guess you could argue that his experience over the last 14 years with the Browns kind of correlates to the NBA,” said Florio.

Per Jack Aaron of PFSN, Haslam, with his 25% stake, has the authority to approve or deny any franchise player deal. However, he doesn’t have the skills or experience to overrule the team GM to modify the trade package.

Florio was very much in agreement. He believes that although there are people in the Browns' front office who carry out the decisions, it is Haslam who acts as a "shadow GM" and comes up with the ideas.

“This is a strange reality for sports fans to have to accept the fact that someone who showed up with a giant bag of cash can insinuate himself or herself into decisions they shouldn't be making.”

Did Haslam do the right thing by prioritizing consistency or should Milwaukee have pursued a different deal?

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Naomi Grace

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit