NBA insider Marc Stein connected the Houston Rockets to a potential trade of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo over the weekend.
Stein wrote Sunday that "whispers have begun to percolate among rival teams monitoring a potential down-the-road Houston pursuit" of the two-time MVP. While there have been rumors surrounding Antetokounmpo lately due to the Bucks' poor start, the Rockets hadn't been mentioned as an interested party so Stein's report was sure to raise some eyebrows.
It also got the attention of Rockets beat writers, and on Wednesday The Athletic's Kelly Iko reported there is no truth to the rumor.
"The Rockets are not interested in breaking up their core for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo," Iko wrote on his X account. "Houston, sitting at 10-5 and a game out of first in the West, remains focused on developing its young players as a collective."
This led to NBA fans jumping on the Rockets for the report, dunking on Houston for not only making their lack of interest public but for believing the team would have a chance of landing Giannis in the first place.
The Bucks are not interested in breaking up their role players for Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, sources tell me. Milwaukee remains focused on developing its young players as a collective.
— Justin Wills (@itsjwills) November 20, 2024
Y’all really talked yourself into thinking Giannis was coming hey? Lol
— MadnessDFS (@MadnessDFSbets) November 20, 2024
as if they had a shot to get him anyway LMAO
— Dom (@DomEvenson) November 20, 2024
Buddy, Giannis wasn’t coming anyway
— 🦌⌚️💍 (@GiannisIn6) November 20, 2024
The Bucks are not interested in trading Giannis, nor is Giannis looking to leave. Get it right.
— Opp Pack Giannis (@OppPackGiannis) November 20, 2024
Like Giannis was on his way to Houston last night LMAO
— Maxence (@Xenceee) November 20, 2024
great, i was hoping to get some news on that one thing that for sure was never gonna happen
— Person (@BigLilHugeGuy) November 20, 2024
On the one hand, the Rockets are definitely a team to watch for when a superstar does end up on the trade block because their young talent is legit. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason make up one of the best young cores in the league through any lens. Regardless of how realistic it is that the Bucks actually trade Giannis, Houston certainly makes sense as a front-runner in those hypothetical trade discussions.
On the other hand, this report sounds a lot like all the NFL teams who publicly insisted they did not want Lamar Jackson before he'd go on to win his second MVP award. The Rockets should have faith in their young core but should also be eager to jump on the opportunity to land a player like Antetokounmpo at nearly any cost, and announcing preemptively they aren't interested seems like an easy way to end up with egg on their face for no reason at all.
Anyway. Leave the Rockets out of Giannis trade rumors for the foreseeable future.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Fans Roast Rockets for Reportedly Not Wanting to Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
