Rockets must sacrifice the plan if they steal Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Houston Rockets have conducted a near-perfect rebuild. They were awful for three years, gathered assets, freed up cap space, used that cap space smartly, hit on draft picks, and then made the blockbuster trade when it presented itself, adding Kevin Durant in the summer. Now, the Rockets have a win-now roster and still reason to believe that the best is yet to come.

What if they just forgot all that and traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

It might not be that simple. But, it kind of might be that simple. If the Rockets' front office wanted to, it could put together a whale of an offer for the two-time MVP. A trio of Giannis, KD, and Alperen Sengun is a championship-level trio, but it would also drastically shorten the Rockets' championsip window. What's better, a big window that's only open for a short period of time, or a smaller window that's open for way longer? Because that's the choice the front office needs to make.

Rockets potentially have the best trade package for Giannis

Right now, they almost definitely do. The Knicks and Heat both have to wait until the offseason until they can offer their full packages, and I would be shocked if the Cleveland Cavaliers are willing to put Evan Mobley or Darius Garland on the table in any deal.

The Rockets, though, can put together a package of young talent and picks without fully sacrificing the future of the team. A deal centered around Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard with a few of the Rockets' big contracts (FVV and DFS, for instance) plus a couple of draft picks would be financially viable.

That would almost certainly pique the interest of the Bucks. My guess is, if that deal were offered today, we'd get an alert that the trade was completed by the end of the night. So the question isn't whether that's enough to get a deal done, it's whether it's too much for Houston to sacrifice.

What gives the Rockets a better chance of winning a title — Giannis, KD, and Sengun right now, or the team as currently constructed over the next five-plus seasons? That's not a rhetorical question, either, because I don't know the answer. Does Amen Thompson become an All-NBA player? Is Reed Sheppard the longterm starting point guard? If the answer to both of those are "yes," then this trade (as crazy as it sounds to say) might not be worth it for Houston.

But if the peak of both of those players is "good starter," then adding a two-time MVP and bona fide superstar is a no-brainer.

Is it time for the Rockets to get really crazy?