With the rumors swirling around Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future in Milwaukee following the Bucks‘ third straight first-round exit and Damian Lillard‘s Achilles injury, the Houston Rockets are emerging as an ideal trade partner.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic proposed a blockbuster three-team trade that would get Antetokounmpo to Houston and, in return, get a haul to kickstart the Bucks’ rebuilding.
Here is Sam Vecenie’s trade proposal:
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Donovan Clingan, 2025 first (via Phoenix), 2027 first (via Phoenix), 2029 first (most favorable of Milwaukee, Portland or Washington), 2028 and 2030 Milwaukee swap rights extinguished
Houston Rockets receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jerami Grant
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Alperen Şengün, Jock Landale
This is a drastic move for the Bucks, but it could be the best package they could get if Antetokounmpo asks out.
Why Bucks Should Make This Trade
Vecenie laid out the parameters in which the Bucks should operate if they are going to trade Antetokounmpo.
“The Bucks should have two goals in any Antetokounmpo deal: Acquire as much young, cost-controlled talent as possible and get as many of their picks back as possible. Here, in addition to the young players, they get a top-10 pick in the 2025 draft from Phoenix, another high-value Phoenix first-round pick in 2027 and then get control over all of their picks back from Portland from 2028 through 2030,” Vecenie wrote.
Eric Nehm, The Athletic’s Bucks beat reporter, likes the idea of this trade proposal with a caveat.
“I still need some more in this package, but this is getting pretty close,” Nehm wrote. “Sam was right to get the Bucks back in control of their picks from the Blazers between 2028-30. I think that is one of the most valuable things the Bucks can acquire in any Antetokounmpo trade because getting rid of one of the best players on the planet while not controlling your picks is bad business.”
Crucial Meeting Set
In the morning after the Bucks lost Lillard in Game 4, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst painted a murky future in Milwaukee.
“It’s possible that Giannis has played his last game in Milwaukee as a Buck,” Windhorst said on the April 28 episode of the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “I don’t know, but it’s also irresponsible not to contemplate that right now.”
The Bucks went on to lose Game 5 in Indiana, where they stunningly squandered a seven-point lead in the final 40 seconds of the game.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Sunday that a meeting has already been scheduled that will
“I was told the Bucks made contact with Giannis Antetokounmpo early as this morning and sources relayed to me that a meeting is expected to be scheduled for mid-next week,” Haynes said. “This is where Giannis is going to have a chance to speak with Bucks brass and talk about the direction of the team.
“There’s a lot going on with the Bucks this offseason. Knowing Giannis personally, one of the toughest competitors we have in this league. A guy who has great ambition. He wants multiple championships. That’s all he wants to do. To be put in a position where he can play alongside a team that has a chance to fight for a title. This is going to be a very, very crucial meeting next week.”
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