NBA Mock Trade: Milwaukee Bucks Send Giannis Antetokounmpo to Houston Rockets For Alperen Sengun
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After adding Myles Turner from Indiana, it seems pretty clear that the Milwaukee Bucks still think their championship window with Giannis Antetokounmpo is open.
But with Antetokounmpo now pushing 30, Milwaukee doesn't have a lot of time on its side. It has to make a decision to either go all-in or start over with a younger core. And if it does decide to start over, trading Antetokounmpo would be the best way to recoup assets.
After all, he's still very much in the prime of his career. If Antetokounmpo isn't in a position to win a title in Wisconsin, he can definitely win one somewhere else. And the right team will pay a premium for him to do that.
The Houston Rockets would love to be that team. Here's how that deal might work.
Milwaukee Bucks - Houston Rockets Mock Trade
Bucks Receive
C Alperen Sengun
G Reed Sheppard
G Amen Thompson
2027 first round pick (Suns)
2028 first round pick
Right to swap first round picks in 2029
Rockets Receive
F Giannis Antetokounmpo
Why the Trade Makes Sense for the Bucks
Milwaukee trading Antentokounmpo means that it wants to get younger. Sengun offers a way to do that, as do Sheppard and Thompson. The numbers would work even better if Houston included Jabari Smith Jr. instead of Thompson, but the Rockets refused to send Smith to Phoenix for Kevin Durant. They view Smith as part of their long-term plans, so Thompson goes to Milwaukee instead.
Sengun is an All-Star that could pair with Turner, and Sheppard and Thompson give Milwaukee options for deciding how to build long-term. The Bucks have to make decisions on Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. soon, and having other options at their positions gives them flexibility. They could decide one option is the answer, clear the other contract and find another talented player to further build.
With two first-rounders and swap rights coming back from Houston, they'd have flexibility to do that. A good draft haul in 2027 and 2028 could give Milwaukee a talented roster with only one contributor above the age of 27. That's a great way for the Bucks to set themselves up to be good for a while.
Why the Trade Makes Sense for the Rockets
Houston needs more consistent offense, and Antetokounmpo would offer that. With Durant now 37 and most of the Rockets' starters on the other side of 30, Houston wants to maximize this window. The cost is steep for Antetokounmpo, but that's what star players cost. Putting him and Durant together with Fred VanVleet could make the Rockets' offense one of the best in the league.
Houston can also afford to spend its draft capital. The Rockets have four first-rounders in the 2027 and 2028 drafts. They can send two of them and throw in swap rights to sweeten the offer for Milwaukee. If the Bucks are trying to get younger and the Rockets aren't, the draft picks mean more to Milwaukee.
Fantasy Implications
Antetokounmpo will be a first-round fantasy option no matter where he plays. He might become a little more efficient with VanVleet getting him the ball, as Houston tends not to turn the ball over very often.
Sengun's situaton is harder to predict. He's still likely to be a valuable player, but his value might take a small hit going to what would become a rebuilding team. Turner's situation is even murkier, as he'd become the most reliable option on a team learning to play together. That might help him in the short term, but it would depend on how Milwaukee's new assets adjusted to playing with him.
Dan Angell has covered some of the biggest sporting events in the country, including the NCAA Tournament, the Maui Invitational and the Big Ten championship. He loves looking for overlooked angles to sports and using that to find betting edges and unique takes on news around the games. Outside of writing, he enjoys traveling to different stadiums to experience the atmosphere and the restaurants of each location.