Rockets' Giannis Antetokounmpo dream needs to end as quickly as possible

The Houston Rockets are often seen as a dark-horse candidate to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. If they are abandoning him, they should abandon that pursuit.

That statement will be controversial. Some Rockets fans will beg to differ. Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. Why wouldn’t the Rockets want him?

Fair. That was my feeling for some time, too. Now that we’re here, it’s worth a second thought. Adding Antetokounmpo would clearly make the Rockets a better team:

But is he worth the inevitable cost?

Rockets shouldn’t give up assets for star forward

That’s the other side of any trade. Sure, Antetokounmpo would elevate the Rockets. The question is whether, considering how much he’ll cost, he would put them in a better position than they’re in right now.

Think about that. It wouldn’t be controversial to say that Houston is in one of the best positions in the NBA. They’re title contenders when healthy, and they’ve got one of the best collections of assets in the league.

If they did acquire Antetokounmpo, they’d be more serious title threats – but those assets would be depleted. The Rockets would likely have to forfeit one of Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson, one of Tari Eason or Reed Sheppard, and most (if not all) of their available first-round picks. That’s the typical cost of an MVP candidate.

Yet, there’s a reasonable counterargument: What else do the Rockets have those assets for? Isn’t the point to acquire an MVP-caliber player? Sure:

But is Antetokounmpo the right star for the Rockets?

Rockets must consider roster construction

What do Antetokounmpo, Sengun, and Thompson all have in common?

You guessed it. They’re all shaky three-point shooters. In acquiring Antetokounmpo, the Rockets would be committing to putting Durant in one of the worst shooting cores he’s seen in his NBA career.

Sure, he’s currently playing alongside two suspect shooters. That could prove costly for the Rockets in 2025-26, but at least they still have their assets. If the Rockets decide that Sengun and Thompson can’t co-exist, they can trade one next summer.

Trading one of them for another non-shooter would seem counterproductive. That’s the crux of the point here. If the Rockets are going to trade for another star player, it ought to be one that complements whichever one of Sengun or Thompson is left. Simply put, it ought to be a high-volume three-point shooter.

The appeal in acquiring Antetokounmpo is obvious. He’s one of the best players in the NBA. If the Rockets ultimately do decide to pull the trigger, it will be a defensive decision.

Still, it wouldn’t be optimal. The Rockets may find themselves trading for a third, lower-level star to complement Antetokounmpo and Durant. Now, you’ve blown up a young core that already delivered a 52-win season with no guarantees of success.

The Rockets may want to pursue a different path.