Report: Giannis trade seen as more ‘intriguing’ within Rockets than trade for K.D., Zion, Booker

The Houston Rockets were one of the most improved teams in the NBA this season compared to last. Houston didn’t qualify for the 2024 NBA Playoffs after it finished the 2023-24 regular season with 41 wins, yet it ended the 2024-25 regular season as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and won 52 games.

The Rockets nearly pulled off the improbable in their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors as well, as they forced a Game 7 after Golden State once led 3-1.

But Houston’s first-round exit — and Jalen Green’s erratic play in the series — called attention to the team’s need for another star player, something that will be worth monitoring this offseason.

“Depending on how these next few months play out, star NBA players like the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant and New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson might be on the market,” The Athletic’s Kelly Iko and Sam Amick wrote. “And that list could grow.

“The prospect of landing players of that ilk presents a fork-in-the-road moment for the Rockets, who are in prime position to upgrade their roster with a bona fide star because of the draft picks and young talent they’ve collected in recent years. But will they take the big swing, one that could cost them a young star (or more), or take the patient approach and resist the temptation to accelerate their contending timeline?

“While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable of that group, and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston, team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant’s age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline. It’s worth noting that previous talks between the teams about Durant, team sources said, were initiated by the Suns.

“The Rockets have previously held serious interest in the Suns’ Devin Booker, but team sources said that is no longer the case. Not only do team officials still have faith in Jalen Green, who is five years younger than Booker and $66 million cheaper over the next three seasons, but also Booker’s struggles last season shifted the thinking on this front. As for Williamson, who has spent the majority of his first six seasons falling short of expectations while experiencing health issues along the way, team sources said the Rockets see him as too risky.”

While there are some big names to watch around the NBA this offseason, folks within the Rockets organization reportedly see Antetokounmpo as a more “intriguing” trade target than any of the other aforementioned options.

“That brings us to Antetokounmpo,” Iko and Amick wrote.

“Of all the possibilities this summer might bring, the idea of the ‘Greek Freak’ donning a Rockets jersey is seen as the most intriguing within the organization. The cost most certainly would be exorbitant, with a collection of draft picks, veterans to make the money work and a young talent or two likely to be part of the package. And because of how Antetokounmpo best operates, as a primary playmaker and a hub of the offense, the prospect of him playing alongside Alperen Şengün in the frontcourt — if he wasn’t dealt — would come with its challenges. But not only is Antetokounmpo widely considered one of the league’s top three players, but also he’s still young enough at 30 that the runway for a Rockets future would be long.”

Antetokounmpo might be the best two-way player in the NBA right now and just recently put together a dominant 2024-25 season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Offensively, he averaged 30.4 points per game and led the league in made field goals and free-throw attempts per game.

The Athens, Greece native was one of just two players in the league to average 30-plus points per game in the regular season. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 32.7 points per contest.

On top of his ability to dominate games from a scoring standpoint, Antetokounmpo has the defensive chops that would make him a coach’s dream for a defensive-minded head coach such as Ime Udoka.

Antetokounmpo has been named to one of the league’s all-defensive teams on five separate occasions, and he also captured the Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2019-20 campaign.

Even though the Rockets would likely have to give up the kitchen sink for a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, it could be worth it for them in the long run, as he has proven that he can be the best player on a championship team. He guided the Bucks to the 2021 NBA title.