The Houston Rockets must keep an eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo

It's hard to talk about the Houston Rockets without talking about "the young core".

Sure, Fred VanVleet is arguably their most impactful player. Dillon Brooks' toughness is woven into the team's cultural fabric. Still, fans have grown most attached to seven young players who could be the team's future.

There's a desire to keep them together. It may not be realistic. If each of the core seven reaches their potential, keeping them all will not be financially viable. Moreover, there isn't room for seven starting-caliber players in one NBA rotation.

So, consolidation has been a topic of regular discussion. Many fans resist the idea, but if the right superstar shakes loose, this front office is likely to make a compelling offer for his services.

Could the Bucks' Giannis Antetokoumnpo be the right star?

Antetokounmpo could be available to Rockets

There have been murmurs lately. They're coming directly from the horse's mouth, too (subscription needed).

"Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody."

-Giannis Antetokounmpo

That's far from a trade request. Antetokounmpo is candid by nature - we shouldn't read too much into these comments.

Still - he said that. It's a striking quote. There's a real possibility that Antetokoumnpo could be available soon. If he is, there's an even more distinct chance that the Rockets will make the Bucks the most compelling offer.

Some will suggest that the Rockets would be wise to avoid Antetokoumnpo. There are reasonable arguments to be made. Antetokoumnpo likely has just a few years of prime basketball left. He'll be exorbitantly expensive, and he'll want a co-star to join him in Space City.

If he's available, the Rockets should pursue him anyway.

Antetokounmpo could change Rockets' fortunes

Let's address those arguments.

Sure, Antetokounmpo may only have a few prime years left. There is a small handful of NBA players who give their team a de facto chance to compete for the title. Antetokoumnpo is in that handful. Any team should take a few years of title contention if it's available to them.

He'll be expensive, yes. Of course he will - Antetokounmpo is one of a small handful of NBA players who give their team a de facto chance to compete for the title.

There's no sense in gauging his cost in a vacuum. A billionaire buying a Bugatti isn't the same as a regular person contacting a black market loan shark to borrow the funds for one.

Luckily, the Rockets are rich. If we treat their young players as trade assets, we see that they have more than enough to trade for Antetokounmpo - and his next co-star, if necessary.

Rockets trade assets

Alperen Sengun
Amen Thompson
Reed Sheppard
Jalen Green
Jabari Smith Jr.
Tari Eason
Cam Whitmore
2025 First-Round Pick (HOU)
2025 First-Round Pick (OKC or PHX)
2027 First-Round Pick (Swap - HOU or BKN)
2027 First-Round Pick (PHX)
2028 First-Round Pick (HOU)
2029 First-Round PIck (HOU)
2029 First-Round Pick (DAL or PHX)
2030 First-Round Pick (HOU)
2031 First-Round Pick (HOU)

That's seven young, high-upside players and nine first-round draft assets. That is a quantum ton of stuff.

Let's say the Rockets traded for Giannis. It should cost something in the vicinity of, for argument's sake, Sengun, Thompson, Whitmore, and four first-round picks. That leaves Houston with four of their young guys and five first-round assets. Sure, the Stepien rule will limit some flexibility, but the Rockets can send alternating unprotected firsts and swaps. If they wait, they'll have more of their own picks to send.

Either way, that's far more than enough for another star.

If Houston can keep those Suns picks out of the Antetokounmpo deal, that star could be Devin Booker. Suppose the Rockets send the Suns Green, Smith Jr., and their picks back for him. Now, they've got Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker on their roster - and they've kept Sheppard and Eason.

That sounds like very serious title contention.

Is that the Rockets' future?

Rockets future is bright - with or without Antetokounmpo

Blasphemy, right? Sengun and Thompson for an aging veteran?

Relax. This is all strictly hypothetical.

If the Thunder are willing to include Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams in a deal, the Rockets could be out of the picture. If Antetokounmpo is simply not interested in coming to Houston, they'll be out of luck anyway.

More broadly, we don't know who from this young core will step up in 2024-25. If Thompson can replicate Antetokoumnpo's defensive impact, and Green can score with volume and efficiency, the Rockets could opt to hang onto their significantly young players along with their draft assets.

There are a myriad of options for this team. The Rockets can't afford to rule any of them out - including Antetokounmpo should he become an option.

Even if it means sacrificing the young core.