Getty
A young fan measures himself against center Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets before the 1997 All-Star game.
The Houston Rockets’ early playoff exit, despite securing the No. 2 seed and a homecourt advantage, exposed their lack of a go-to guy.
With the rumors swirling around Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future in Milwaukee following the Bucks‘ third straight first-round exit and Damian Lillard‘s Achilles injury, the Rockets have the combination of young players and picks to land a star still in his prime to lift them to title contention.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic proposed a blockbuster three-team trade that would get Antetokounmpo to Houston, where he could become the franchise’s next most important big man after Hakeem Olajuwon, whom he admires and trained under in past offseasons.
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots over Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets.
Here is Sam Vecenie’s trade proposal:
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Donovan Clingan, 2025 first (via Phoenix), 2027 first (via Phoenix), 2029 first (most favorable of Milwaukee, Portland or Washington), 2028 and 2030 Milwaukee swap rights extinguished
Houston Rockets receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jerami Grant
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Alperen Şengün, Jock Landale
This is a drastic move for the Rockets if they do it, as they are trading away their young core.
Why Rockets Should Make This Trade
However, Vecenie defended the merits of his trade proposal for Houston.
“To me, Houston is the team that makes the most sense to end up with Antetokounmpo if the Bucks have to move him. The Rockets have the most assets in the league in terms of young, controllable talent outside of the Thunder, and they desperately need a No. 1 option. This deal allows them to acquire Antetokounmpo for the players that, frankly, don’t make a lot of sense on their roster when it comes to playing next to Antetokounmpo in Thompson and Şengün, the two players who also happen to have the highest trade value on the team. They also maintain enough control over their future drafts to be able to continue to build,” Vecenie wrote.
Antetokounmpo and Grant teaming up with Fred VanVleet will accelerate the Rockets timeline in an era where there is competitive balance in the league.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade ‘Possible’
In the morning after the Bucks lost Lillard in Game 4, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst painted a murky future in Milwaukee.
“It’s possible that Giannis has played his last game in Milwaukee as a Buck,” Windhorst said on the April 28 episode of the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “I don’t know, but it’s also irresponsible not to contemplate that right now.”
The Bucks went on to lose Game 5 in Indiana, where they stunningly squandered a seven-point lead in the final 40 seconds of the game.
Bucks Going to Have ‘Wholesale Change’
Windhorst isn’t alone in speculating that Antetokounmpo could ask out of Milwaukee this summer.
Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show” on April 23, NBA insider Chris Haynes also made the same assumption.
Asked if Antetokounmpo will finish his career in Milwaukee, Haynes gave a blunt answer.
“I don’t think so,” Haynes said. “This 2025 Playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s gonna be pivotal. If they don’t get to the Finals, win the Finals, or even make a deep run, you can probably see some wholesale changes going on in Milwaukee.
“You can go from coaching staff and front office to the players, it can be a pretty big, significant wholesale if the Milwaukee Bucks don’t make a significant run this postseason.”
Haynes added that the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee might end as early as this summer.
“I could see them going in a different direction, and yeah, I can see that possibility if things go sour this postseason for sure,” Haynes said.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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