Pessimism Growing Regarding the Rockets' Chances of Trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Will they be able to pull it off?

Apr 12, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo looks on after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The offseason is upon us. Well, somewhat. The second round of the playoffs are still ongoing.

Which means eight teams are still playing in the postseason. For the Houston Rockets, the offseason means a season of rumors. The speculation will be rampant all offseason.

No one knows what the Rockets will do. According to their brass, they won't make any changes, save for tweaks and modifications towards the back end of their roster.

We've also heard that Rockets coach Ime Udoka’s coaching staff will remain intact. Although he may very well lose one of his assistants to the Portland Trail Blazers' coaching vacancy.

In fact, Ben Sullivan has already interviewed for the position and could be a strong candidate, due to his ties to the area. The Rockets are a major dark horse team heading into the offseason.

They could take a number of different paths. Many have the Rockets making a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

We've heard an endless amount of chatter and speculation regarding a looming divorce between the Bucks and Antetokounmpo for seemingly ages. At least it sure feels that way, although that's an exaggeration.

This year's reporting on that front would seem to indicate that the Bucks are finally open to moving Antetokounmpo, although we didn't see any deal materialize over the trade deadline. The Rockets were surely not going to make an in-season deal of that magnitude, as players need time to assimilate into a new system and infrastructure.

And it's not like the offseason, in which teams have time to add and build around players' weaknesses. And depending on who you believe, the Rockets may pass on a deal for Antetokounmpo altogether.

At least, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who stated the following on the Howdy Partners podcast.

"I would be surprised if they’re aggressive to get Giannis (Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks). I would be surprised if they’re aggressive to get another guy in his 30s, but a 20-something star, I could see that. And they have the assets to compete in any bidding war."

MacMahon believes a move for Donovan Mitchell may be more likely. One thing to note is that the asking price for Antetokounmpo will not be low. Meaning the Rockets likely won't be able to pull off a repeat of last offseason's deal for Kevin Durant.

Again, the Bucks haven't wanted to trade him. And the market will be steep for Antetokounmpo. Houston's brass won't want to be the highest bidder in likely any deal, even though the may have one of the best packages of assets.