NBA insider identifies wrong Antetokounmpo trade chip in potential Rockets deal

The Houston Rockets may be wise to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they'd have to make the right deal. One NBA insider has them making the wrong decision in pursuit of the Greek superstar.

That would be ESPN's Tim Legler. He recently suggested that the Rockets ought to send Alperen Sengun to the Bucks instead of Amen Thompson should a deal transpire. Legler has a lot of good NBA takes:

But this is not one of them.

Rockets cannot trade Sengun

His logic?

"I think I know what Sengun’s ultimate ceiling is. Like, we’re watching it right now."

- Tim Legler, ESPN

So, here's the thing about that argument:

We've been hearing it for three years now.

Ever since Sengun emerged as a star, that's been the word: His ceiling is limited. Here's the rebuttal:

Why?

Is it his athletic profile? That's a bad argument. Sengun is sneakily athletic. His vertical is impressive for a guy his size, and he's quicker laterally than he's given credit for.

His skill set? Try again. Sengun entered the league as an interior scoring big man who struggled with his shooting and defense. In 2025-26, he does both.

Perhaps there's little room left for improvement. Luckily, there's little improvement needed. If Sengun can just convert on layup and dunk attempts at a higher rate, he's a perennial All-NBA player.

The same cannot be said for Thompson.

Rockets need to prioritize established talent

The last thing this is meant to be is an Amen Thompson hit piece.

I love the kid. He has struggled mightily as a point guard this season, but his potential remains immense. That said, it's starting to look like he's better suited for an off-ball role. If that's true, his ceiling is far lower than Sengun's.

His Box Plus/Minus (BPM) has plummeted from 4.1 to 0.5. His True Shooting % (TS%) has dropped from 60.2% to 54.1%. It's become clear that when defenses are planning for Thompson in half-court scenarios, he's substantially easier to stop.

One could make the case that the Rockets shouldn't trade either. That might be my position - I'm on the fence. That said, the argument that the team should keep Thompson over Sengun does not hold water.

Sengun is significantly better right now. It's not impossible that Thompson will be better in the future, but it would be hard to call it likely. Moreover, the Rockets aren't rebuilding - they're in win-now mode. They're a "two timeline" team that's trying to prioritize both the present and the future:

And through either lens, Sengun is the man to keep.