The Kevin Durant Trade Saga is finally over. Slim Reaper will soon begin a new chapter of the Houston Rockets.
It was more or less confirmed that Kevin Durant would be traded this summer, but for the most part, he expected his prices to be a little higher.
After all, the Houston Rockets traded with KD by giving up only Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 2025 No. 10 overall picks and five second round picks.
Rocket still has assets, NBA Analytics Network We propose a hypothetical deal that allowed us to acquire Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetocomo.
- Houston Rockets Received: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Milwaukee Bucks Received: Fred Vanvrit, Jabari Smith Jr., 2027 First Round Pick (BKN), 2028 First Round Pick, 2030 First Round Pick
It’s no doubt that the addition of Durant has launched five Rockets will be incredible, but adding Antetokounmpo only improves them.
The Bucks superstar hinted at his desire to stay in Milwaukee, but he has been the mainstay of NBA trade rumors since the team’s first round elimination in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Considering both Fred Vanbeat and Jabari Smith Jr., there are team options for the upcoming season, and the Rockets are absolutely in control of their fate.
Giannis will make a whopping $54.1 million next season, but forming a duo with KD could finally be a Rockets ticket to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.
After all, Durant and Antetokounmpo are excellent scorers. But the most frightening part of the duo is the defensive capabilities of the Greek freaks.
Combining their talent with younger stars like Amen Thompson and Alperen Senggan, the second seeded Rocket may finally get past the hump next season.
Proposed Houston Rockets Depth Chart:
| Start 5 | bench |
| Reed Shepherd | Aaron Holiday |
| Kevin Durant | Nate Williams |
| Amen Thompson | Cam Whitmore |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Tali Eason |
| Alperen Senn | Stephen Adams |
Antetokounmpo has finished his 12th season with the Bucks. During his tenure, Giannis won many individual accolades.
On top of that, he ended the Bucks’ 50-year championship drought by leading the team to the 2021 NBA title.
However, since winning the 2021 championship, the Bucks have been declining constantly. Antetokounmpo was phenomenal, but the cast he supports along with is not enough to win the title.
The Bucks have already traded Chris Middleton this season and it’s unlikely that the Bucks will compete for the NBA championship next season as Damian Lillard tore their Achilles heel in the postseason.
So, what can they do? Get draft assets and a young star from Smith Jr. They can eat Van Beetle’s contract for a year or flip him over for more assets.
In any case, if the Bucks decide to trade Giannis, it will undoubtedly mark the end of the best era for the franchise in league history.