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The 2024-25 season for the Houston Rockets cannot be considered as anything other than a success, even if they did fall short in the playoffs yet again to their archrival Golden State Warriors. They finally saw their rebuild begin to bear fruit in the form of a 52-win season, and these Rockets aren't going anywhere, what with their young core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr., just to name a few, still in their early 20s.
Thus, the Rockets, looking to capitalize on their title-contending window that was pried wide-open this past season, decided to trade away Jalen Green, the former second overall pick, as the centerpiece of the trade that brought Kevin Durant to Clutch City. And it's not like the Rockets had to give up their best assets, as they needed to just add Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft (Khaman Maluach), and five second-round picks to get the deal done.
And following the Rockets' slew of moves in free agency (signing Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela for more depth) as well as their decision to commit to Smith for the long-term (he signed a five-year, $125 million rookie extension), it looks like they're done filling the roster. They have depth across multiple positions anyway.
But should the Rockets decide that another trade is in the cards for them, they definitely have the assets to pull off a blockbuster for the next available superstar in the trade market. However, Houston should be very selective, as they should only break up their core for the superstar that will unquestionably make them a championship contender.
Rockets' next blockbuster trade should be for Giannis Antetokounmpo
This is not to say that the Rockets have to make a move now. In fact, their roster for the 2025-26 campaign appears to be set already even though it's this early in the free agency period. They should be entering next season with a ton of confidence in their squad, as adding Durant should already solve a lot of the halfcourt scoring problems that they had last season.
But if the Rockets end up falling short yet again, it might be time to revisit the idea of going all-in and trading whatever is necessary to bring Giannis Antetokounmpo to Houston.
The Milwaukee Bucks front office deserves some credit for trying to remain competitive by building around Antetokounmpo with what little resources they have. They even made the ballsy play of waiving Damian Lillard to make room for the signing of Myles Turner. But Turner is hardly a needle-mover, instead profiling as a high-level complementary piece to an already-stacked team. The Bucks, quite frankly, aren't stacked and aren't even close to having a championship-contending roster.
This could perhaps lead to an eventual trade request from Antetokounmpo, who will be in the final year of his deal during the 2026-27 campaign. And by then, should the Rockets end up running into a buzzsaw in the playoffs yet again, maybe Antetokounmpo sees the nascent team as an appealing trade destination.
The Durant trade did not strip the Rockets of their best trade assets, which will help them gear up for a potential push for Antetokounmpo should the Bucks' worst nightmare come true.
What should Houston offer?
The Bucks, most likely, are going to ask for Thompson as the starting point in any potential Antetokounmpo trade with the Rockets. But by then, if Antetokounmpo requests a trade, Milwaukee won't have much leverage, especially when Giannis is in the final year of his deal and can simply walk for nothing in free agency in 2027.
One popular suggestion from pundits is for the Rockets to utilize Alperen Sengun as the primary trade chip they can dangle in exchange for Antetokounmpo. Houston also has young pieces such as Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore, and Tari Eason to dangle. Sengun is an iffy at best fit alongside Antetokounmpo anyway, and even at 32 years of age, Giannis should be a major upgrade on both ends of the floor over the Turkish big man.
The Rockets should be confident to trade Sengun in an Antetokounmpo scenario, as they can elevate Smith into the starting lineup and have them be their starting center.
While he's not a bruising presence on the interior and is not the best on the glass, he has the floor-spacing and shot-blocking ability to thrive alongside Antetokounmpo. Houston should still have Steven Adams anyway to cover for whatever weaknesses they might have on the boards, while Thompson, who should be off-limits for the Bucks, is also a menace on the glass.
The Rockets still have a 2027 first-round pick from the Suns, a 2027 first-round pick swap with the Brooklyn Nets, and they will receive two of the most favorable among the Suns', Dallas Mavericks, and their pick in 2029.
In the end this should be the offer the Rockets put on the table for Antetokounmpo next offseason:
Rockets trade: Alperen Sengun, Clint Capela, Cam Whitmore, Reed Sheppard, 2027 PHX first-round pick, 2028 HOU first-round pick, 2029 PHX first-round pick, 2030 HOU first-round pick, 2032 HOU first-round pick
