Jimmy Haslam is taking heat in two different sports, and now he can count his father among the skeptics.
The Cleveland Browns and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner helped oversee the June trades of Myles Garrett and Giannis Antetokounmpo, two franchise-defining stars whose exits sent shockwaves through their fan bases. The backlash has been loud, and it has not stopped at the team level. Haslam said Friday at Browns training camp that even his 95-year-old father, Pilot Company founder James “Jim” Haslam II, was stunned by how quickly the moves piled up.
#Browns owner Jimmy Haslam says his 95½-year-old dad called him this offseason and said:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 31, 2026
“Do you know that in the last month you’ve traded Myles Garrett and Giannis?” 😅 https://t.co/OINLKvZ0IN pic.twitter.com/hfSWT0j7r5
“My dad's 95 and a half, but he still follows every sports move we make, and he called up after we traded Giannis and he goes, ‘Do you know that in the last month you’ve traded Myles Garrett and Giannis?'” Haslam recalled at Browns training camp on Friday, per The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov. “And I said ‘yes, sir I know that.'”
Both players had been in trade rumors for more than a year, so the groundwork was there long before the deals were finalized. By the time summer arrived, the pressure was on to extract as much value as possible from two situations that had been building for a long time.
Cleveland sent Garrett, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and the new single-season sacks record-holder, to the Los Angeles Rams. In return, the Browns got two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder.
Milwaukee’s deal was even bigger in scope. The Bucks moved Antetokounmpo, the 2021 Finals MVP and two-time regular season MVP, along with Bobby Portis, to the Miami Heat for 2024-25 All-Star Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Nate Ament, the No. 13 overall pick, 2031 and 2033 first-rounders, a 2030 pick swap and a 2033 second-rounder.
The Bucks likely squeezed as much as they could out of the Giannis blockbuster, but the Browns are another story in the eyes of many fans, who wanted more draft capital for Garrett. Haslam now has to live with the question that always follows a move this massive: did he get out at the right time, and did he get enough back to help rebuild what was lost?
For now, the answer from the public is clear enough. The skepticism is real, and apparently it reaches all the way to the top of the family tree.
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