Rockets should already know the one Giannis trade demand they must reject

Amen Thompson has mostly been a revelation for Houston. When the Rockets drafted Thompson, he was known to be a top-tier athlete without a jump shot.

Thompson has used his elite athleticism to become one of the best defenders in the league. In three seasons, he has finished top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice. He was an All-Defense First Team member last year and should be in consideration for the same honor again this season.

His scoring is also making progress. He averaged 18.3 points per game this year and has made huge jumps as a scorer in each of his three seasons.

His jump shot is still almost nonexistent, but his free throw shooting took a big step forward this year. He shot 77.9% from the charity stripe this season after being below 70% in each of his first two seasons.

All of this is to say this: Amen Thompson is really good at basketball. He is only 23 years old and has gotten better each season. In a league dominated by elite athletes, Thompson still manages to stand out as one of the most athletic players in the sport. Houston should not let him go for any reason this offseason.

Amen Thompson should be untouchable

This Houston Rockets team needs to improve in the offseason. They were embarrassed by an injury-depleted Los Angeles Lakers team in the playoffs, and it is obvious the front office cannot simply run everything back.

The Rockets will most likely be connected to all the biggest names on the trade market. They have already been connected to the biggest one: Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Houston needs to resist the urge to give up Thompson in any potential deal, including a potential Giannis package. Thompson’s physical tools are simply too rare, he remains under team control for the foreseeable future, and he has no concerning injury history.

Houston cannot sacrifice its young core

Houston essentially has two timelines operating at the same time. Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Kevin Durant are all on the back end of their careers. However, Houston also has one of the deeper young cores in the league with Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr.

Giving up a 23-year-old with Thompson’s upside would mean giving up on part of what makes this young core so exciting. Instead of sacrificing him for a win-now move, Houston should explore aggressive trades involving one of its veterans and give this young core more time to develop together.

The Rockets should absolutely be aggressive this offseason. This team is too talented to settle for another early playoff exit. But there is a difference between being aggressive and being reckless, and including Thompson in a trade package would cross that line.

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