Why Rockets Must Go All-In for Giannis Antetokounmpo amid NBA Trade Rumors

The Houston Rockets have a chance to control what feels like the inevitable Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.

Their asset collection is loaded to the point they can put the best offer on the table without giving everything (and everyone) away. And that's key, since they happen to have one player worth making off-limits for the two-time MVP.

With Antetokounmpo reportedly "open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere," per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bucks are about to hear some enticing pitches.

Maybe it's the San Antonio Spurs putting a package of picks and high-end prospects on the table. Perhaps the Oklahoma City Thunder finally pull from their absurd pick collection and offer up a potential building block like Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren. Or maybe if Milwaukee doesn't want to completely bottom out—it won't control its own first-round pick until 2031, after all—perhaps there's some interest in an established elite like the Golden State Warriors could send back.

That shouldn't scare off the Rockets. Not when they can potentially trump all other offers on the board.

And certainly not when they have such a clear need for an offensive force like Antetokounmpo. Sure, he wouldn't help with their spacing issues at all, but he would give them the go-to option that potentially propels them not only into the championship race, but perhaps to the very front of it.

Think about it. Houston's defense, which Antetokounmpo could improve, is already championship-ready. It's the opposite end where the Rockets run into trouble. They had a single player average 20-plus points this season: Jalen Green, a career 42.2 percent shooter who saw both his efficiency and volume decrease in his first playoff run.

Green, for reference, averaged an even 21 points to lead the way for the Rockets. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, just pumped in better than 30 points per outing for the third consecutive season and last averaged fewer than 28 points in 2018-19 (an MVP season for him, by the way). Oh, and he cleared that mark while converting better than 60 percent of his shots for the second straight year, too.

He is the best-case scenario for whatever Houston hoped to find this summer. And he's available—or at least appears on the verge of availability. And the Rockets have enough to go get him.

They could (and should) put almost everything on the table: this year's 10th overall selection; those enticing future firsts and swaps from Brooklyn and Phoenix; first-time All-Star Alperen Şengün; maybe Green himself if he has big fans in Milwaukee's front office; and then whatever other young sweeteners are needed to get these trade talks to the finish line.

One name is missing from that list, though, and it's probably the one the Bucks will inquire about first: Amen Thompson. The fourth overall pick from the 2023 draft looms as a possible trump card for the Rockets—should they opt to play it.

He already looks like one of the best athletes to ever pass through the Association. He should be close to securing an All-Defensive first-team spot that he could reasonably hold onto for the next half-decade-plus. And while he's a work-in-progress shooter, he's also unstoppable in transition, capable of running point at 6'7" and a terror when he has a full head of steam (which he takes an absurdly small amount of time to summon).

Again, if the Bucks' brass isn't requesting Thompson in a Rockets' trade, they're doing it wrong. However, Houston should do everything in its power to keep him out of the deal.

Having Antetokounmpo and Thompson on the floor already feels like a cheat code at both ends—even with both having shooting limitations. Provided Houston can piece together adequate spacing around them, they'd be too fast, too explosive and simply too skilled for opponents to contain.

So, is it possible for Houston to get this deal done without him? Honestly, yes. Oklahoma City's pick collection has quantity obviously, but it lacks quality. Barring the obviously untouchable Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio doesn't have a prospect who's shown as much as Şengün or Green. And even with the trickiness of a top-to-bottom rebuild for the Bucks, it's hard to see them viewing Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green as an acceptable centerpiece of an Antetokounmpo trade.

The Rockets need Antetokounmpo, but more than that, they need to have him and Thompson on next season's roster. That team would be a heavyweight title contender for years to come, and Houston's front office has a real chance to turn that vision into a reality.