As first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have engaged in discussions about the two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion’s future with the franchise.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 this month, is currently recovering from a calf injury and missed eight games in December. The Bucks are 11-8 when he plays compared with 3-11 without their All-Star. Despite the injury, he continues to perform at an All-NBA level, averaging 28.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.
Without clarity on Antetokounmpo’s long-term availability, speculation has grown about which teams might pursue him if he were to request a trade. The Houston Rockets have been mentioned as a potential suitor for the forward.
Although Antetokounmpo would instantly be the best player on Houston’s roster, the most talented team does not always win, and there are reasons the Rockets should be cautious.
For NBA fans who checked out of Houston in the post-James Harden era, here’s a refresher.
In 2021, after trading Harden for a haul of draft picks, Houston shifted into asset-building mode. The Rockets selected Jalen Green No. 2 overall. Just 14 spots later, the Rockets acquired Alperen Sengun through a draft day trade with Oklahoma City for pick No. 16.
Houston continued stacking lottery talent in 2022, selecting Jabari Smith Jr. third overall and Tari Eason at No. 17.
Before the 2023 season, the Rockets moved on from head coach Stephen Silas and hired Ime Udoka. In the same summer, the team drafted Amen Thompson No. 4 overall and signed veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to help establish a new culture.
In 2024, the Rockets improved by 19 wins. The Rockets finished as the 11th seed in the west with a record of 41-41. Houston landed the No. 3 pick used to select Reed Sheppard after a fortunate lottery jump, despite missing the play-in tournament by only one spot.
Houston turned that momentum into a second-place finish in the Western Conference in 2025.
Despite success, the season ended in familiar fashion, with Stephen Curry and the Warriors once again eliminating Houston. (The Warriors have eliminated the Rockets in four out of the team’s last six playoff appearances.)
After two years of exceeding expectations under Udoka, the Rockets made a statement by acquiring Kevin Durant in exchange for 23-year-old Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. The trade is widely viewed as a win-now move. Houston quickly signed the 37-year-old Durant to a three-year extension, signaling a commitment to title contention.
At the time of writing, the Rockets sit fourth in the Western Conference. Their young core has continued to grow.
After his first All-Star selection in 2025, Alperen Sengun has evolved into the team’s primary playmaker, averaging 22.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and a team-high 6.8 assists per game.
Amen Thompson already has an impressive defensive skill set, earning All-Defensive first-team honors in 2025.
In year three, Thompson has shown flashes of offensive dominance. Thompson is currently posting averages of 17.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists as the third option behind Durant and Sengun.
“One of a kind, I haven’t played with anyone like this… (I) actually haven’t seen that type of athleticism, to be honest,” teammate Steven Adams told media members .
Adams has played with his fair share of the NBA’s great athletes. In previous stops, Adams has played with Russell Westbrook, Ja Morant, and Zion Williamson.
The 6’7″ guard/forward has mouthwatering size and athleticism. Even in a league full of elite athletes, Thompson is special.
Smith, Sheppard, and Eason round out the young core. All have had big roles during the first quarter of the 2025-2026 season.
If Antetokounmpo is made available, Milwaukee would almost certainly demand some combination of young assets plus multiple draft picks. Here’s the tricky part: Antetokounmpo is currently the league’s sixth-highest-paid player and is set to collect 54 million in 2026 and 58 million in 2027, meaning Milwaukee will likely retain a big earner to make a deal work.
As previously mentioned, the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Any deal involving Antetokounmpo is unlikely to replace the nine-time All-Star.
Given his deep ties to both Milwaukee and the organization… To maintain good faith, the franchise could choose to prioritize Antetokounmpo’s wishes over the potential return.
It is important to note no trade request has been made public, and the Rockets have voiced that a roster shake-up is unlikely, at least for now, as reported by Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire.
Let’s jump to a hypothetical world where Antetokounmpo requests a trade.
He gives a short list of contenders he would like to play for, including Houston. In this world, the Bucks decide to honor Antetokounmpo’s wishes with the intention to accept the best return from said short list.
Durant’s addition is viewed as a win-now move, as previously referenced. The same would be said for a Giannis trade. However, like most things, context is needed, and despite potential similarities, these trades are not the same.
Like Durant, Giannis is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer Unlike Durant, a trade for Giannis tells a different story.
For starters, Milwaukee would almost certainly demand some combination of the Rockets’ young core and draft picks. Fred VanVleet, for monetary reasons, would most likely be involved in a trade.
I am of the belief that both Sengun and Thompson should be untouchable, except for the right price. I do not believe this is that for the Houston Rockets.
Thompson and Giannis are too similar to coexist. The Rockets would be leveraging Thompson’s future for three to four years of Giannis at his current level if he can stay healthy, a risk I’m not sure Houston is willing to take.
Sengun, while not quite on the level of Giannis, is entering the same orbit while being eight years younger.
On top of this Sengun is a better playmaker than Giannis, which at this current moment is more valuable to a Rockets team still awaiting the return of veteran floor general VanVleet from an offseason injury.
The Rockets’ hesitation boils down to three things: fit, timeline, and opportunity cost.
Kevin Durant’s fit has been seamless so far with this Rockets team. Durant was acquired to be a consistent scorer, a role the much younger trade counterpart Jalen Green could not yet be relied on for.
Durant is top ten in scoring all time and has averaged 20 points per game or more every year except for in 2020, when Durant missed the season recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in the 2019 finals.
The other piece included in the Durant trade was Dillon Brooks. In Houston under coach Udoka, Brooks emerged as the team’s defensive leader, and Brooks embraced his role as a villain. Even after his departure, the remnants of Brooks’s leadership and play style remain.
With all these factors considered, trading for Kevin Durant was a no-brainer for the asking price. Durant does Green’s job at Brooks’ position, rendering both unneeded.
Durant gives the Rockets a proven scorer, improved shooting from deep, and the opportunity to compete now playing meaningful basketball. All while the young core gains experience and receives all of the benefits that can come from having a former two-time Finals MVP and future first-ballot Hall of Famer on the roster.
Durant’s future replacement is likely already in the building. With a similar frame and constant comparisons, no player can learn more from Durant than Smith Jr. Between Smith Jr., Eason, and Thompson, the Rockets are also stacked with young wing talent, all eager to learn.
This ignites a rare instance of a two-timeline plan that could actually work.
By the end of Durant’s contract, he will be 40 years old, Sengun will be 26, and Thompson 25. This puts the Rockets in a favorable position to pivot into another title window on the backs of their young stars.
Could a Giannis to Houston trade happen?
Absolutely, although unlikely. If the Rockets’ front office is convinced they can capitalize on a shorter championship window, Antetokounmpo is still a generational talent in his prime even with the risks involved. However, it is still too early to say for certain.
Regardless of what happens involving Giannis, the thought of breaking up a Rockets team too early is eerily similar to 2019, when the franchise traded away Chris Paul. Only to be later forced to watch Paul engineer a Finals run soon after. I challenge Houston to keep belief in this roster this time around. Houston has preached patience. Now is the time to practice it.
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