Giannis Antetokounmpo just gifted Rockets the future they've been building toward

For the first time in his illustrious 12-year NBA career, Giannis Antetokounmpo is seriously considering leaving the Milwaukee Bucks. It's a development that many admittedly saw coming, but every organization, including the Houston Rockets, was anxiously awaiting confirmation of his willingness to depart Milwaukee.

Mere weeks after ending a 52-win season with a first-round exit, the Rockets finally have the silver lining they've been searching for.

Antetokounmpo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Association history. He's a former NBA champion, Finals MVP, two-time regular season MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year, as well as an eight-time All-NBA and five-time All-Defense honoree.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Antetokounmpo is finally open to adding to his résumé with a franchise other than the Bucks.

"The two-time NBA MVP has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future after the franchise's third consecutive postseason exit in the first round, but for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere, league sources told ESPN."

The good news in Texas is that few teams are better equipped to make an offer Milwaukee might consider accepting than Houston.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is open to a trade—and the Rockets have the assets

The first factor that must be considered is salary, as Antetokounmpo will make an estimated $54,126,380 in 2025-26. The second vital piece of the puzzle will be providing Milwaukee with a return that balances established talent with up-and-comers and meaningful draft compensation.

Thankfully, the Rockets are able to check every one of those boxes—and they have significantly more room to negotiate than the average franchise.

Fred VanVleet has a club option worth $44,886,930 for the 2025-26 season that could be included to instantly close the gap on the financial front. Houston also has movable deals to swap in place of VanVleet with Jalen Green at $33,333,333 and Dillon Brooks at $22,255,493. For that matter, Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr. will all make in the range of $9.77 and $12.6 million.

As far as appealing to Milwaukee's long-term vision is concerned, Houston has an abundance of promising young players, including Green, Alperen Sengun, Sheppard, Smith, Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitmore.

The caveat, of course, is that, in order to maximize the value of an Antetokounmpo trade, the Rockets will need to draw lines in the sand. That will include determining who will be listed as untouchable in potential trade negotiations, with Sengun and Thompson likely springing to the average fan's mind.

Unfortunately, Houston must also be prepared to part with talented individuals whom they'd prefer to keep—a harsh reality when trading for an all-time great.

As far as draft compensation is concerned, the Rockets have positioned themselves to make a powerful offer. They've replaced outgoing assets with incoming selections, thus creating remarkable flexibility that could see them offer as many as five future first-round draft picks—including at least two from a Phoenix Suns team in flux.

The details of a move for Antetokounmpo will be more thoroughly explored moving forward, but for the time being, Houston can rejoice in knowing that a unique opportunity to become a true contender has arrived.