Jimmy Haslam has taken plenty of criticism over the years for his ownership decisions, but Adam Schefter is pushing back against that narrative following an extraordinary stretch of dealmaking. The Myles Garrett trade already generated months of debate among Browns fans, but Schefter explained why he believes Haslam deserves more credit for how he has handled difficult roster situations.
“Think about the last month for Jimmy Haslam. In literally 22 days, he traded Myles Garrett, and he traded Giannis Antetokounmpo. When you look at everything he got back, for Myles Garrett, they got back Jared Verse, I like that. You get a ’27 first-rounder, a ’28 second-rounder, a ’29 third-rounder. You got about as much as you can get for Myles Garrett. I know that people disagree with me. In both cases, Jimmy Haslam had a disgruntled star who wanted out, who he felt like he had to deal. In both cases, I think they got back an awful lot of compensation. I know people like to rip on the Haslams and criticize them, but you cannot criticize making either one of these deals, and you cannot question the return that the Haslams got either Myles Garrett or Giannis Antetokounmpo. I think both his teams, the Browns and the Bucks, are set up for the long term,” Schefter said.
In just over three weeks, Browns and Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam has traded away two of the biggest stars in their respective sports, Myles Garrett and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Cc: @tyschmit
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— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 23, 2026
According to reporting on that deal, the Milwaukee Bucks sent Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks, 1 pick swap, and 1 second-round pick. Pairing that haul with what Cleveland received for Garrett, Jared Verse along with a 2027 first, a 2028 second, and a 2029 third, paints a picture of an owner who managed 2 enormously difficult, emotionally charged situations within the same 3 week stretch and walked away from both with substantial future value.
Garrett’s desire to leave had been documented for over a year, dating back to his public comments during the previous season’s Super Bowl media availability. Haslam was managing a star player who had already made his unhappiness known, and Schefter believes that getting 3 future draft picks and an ascending young pass rusher under those circumstances represents about as strong an outcome as they could have asked for.
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