The Milwaukee Bucks are off to a disastrous start in 2024. In their first 11 games, the team has a 3-8 record and has struggled at times on both sides of the ball. It is extremely frustrating given that Milwaukee needed to stay competitive in order to keep Giannis Antetokoumpo.
While there are currently no reports of an impending trade, those odds will drastically increase if Milwaukee still isn’t competitive by the NBA Trade Deadline.
The Houston Rockets could be the team that sends the right package.
“Well-Positioned In The Bidding War” Bucks-Rockets Pegged To Agree To League-Altering Trade
Having picked in the Top 5 three times between 2021 and 2023, the Rockets changed direction this summer by focusing on veterans such as Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks in free agency.
However, in 2024, they got lucky and won another Top 3 pick (recruiting Reed Sheppard):
As a result, they now have both the young core and the veteran support. VanVleet, Brooks and deadline trade acquisition Steven Adams flank Sheppard, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore; with a 7-4 record thus far in 2024-25, the Rockets are quite a good team, hoping to grow into a great one. And with the infusion of the Greek Freak, they could well do so.
If Milwaukee were to prioritize quality young veterans in a Giannis package, Houston would be well-positioned in the bidding war.
The dismantling of the previous James Harden-based competitive Rockets team has also left the team in an asset-positive position when it comes to draft picks, with almost all of their first-round debts either paid off or relinquished.
The Rockets, then, could put together a good package based around (for example) Green, Smith, Eason and something approaching the “full package” of firsts that has become the norm in trades for superstars.
If they do so, and come away with a line-up of VanVleet, Brooks, Thompson, Antetokounmpo and Sengun, their journey to the top of the West could be sped up.
Here is a look at Giannis’ recent games:
| Date | Team | Opp | Result | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | GmSc | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-12 | MIL | TOR | W 99-85 | * | 33 | 9 | 12 | .750 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5 | 9 | .556 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 21.1 | 1 | |
| 2024-11-10 | MIL | BOS | L 107-113 | * | 39 | 18 | 29 | .621 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 6 | 10 | .600 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 43 | 34.9 | -6 | |
| 2024-11-08 | MIL | @ | NYK | L 94-116 | * | 32 | 11 | 21 | .524 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 6 | .333 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 17.9 | -17 |
| 2024-11-07 | MIL | UTA | W 123-100 | * | 30 | 11 | 21 | .524 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 12 | .750 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 31 | 23.8 | 27 | ||
| 2024-11-02 | MIL | CLE | L 113-114 | * | 39 | 15 | 27 | .556 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .571 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 32.4 | 5 |
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