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Rockets Trade Rumors: Durant, Giannis Among Houston’s Top Targets
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 hours ago on November 19, 2024
Through their first 15 games of the 2024-25 season, the Rockets are 10-5. That is fourth in the Western Conference as of Tuesday morning. Houston is 7-2 in their last nine games and has been blowing teams out along the way. The Rockets are looking to make the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Earlier this week, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Rockets have two trade targets in mind to upgrade their roster. Stein noted that their “dream” trade would be acquiring Kevin Durant from the Suns. However, Phoenix remains adamant about holding on to the former league MVP. If they cannot trade with Phoenix, the Rockets have another target in mind. With how disastrous the 2024-25 season has started for Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be brought up in trade discussions. Will the Rockets be able to make a trade to acquire either Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo?
The Rockets are eager for either Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo
Teams are monitoring the Houston Rockets as a potential destination for Giannis Antetokounmpo, per @TheSteinLine
“This has been interpreted in some corners of the league, as noted in a recent Sunday notebook, as a strategy designed to give the Rockets more time to see if dream… pic.twitter.com/fz2VCCqmjy
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 17, 2024
When you compare the Rockets’ lineup to other teams in the West, they do not match up well. However, Houston has a mix of young talent and veteran players who are getting the job done. Leading the team in scoring is SG Jalen Green at (19.7) points per game. Alperen Sengun’s (11.1) rebounds and (1.4) blocks per game leads the Rockets. Fred VanVleet’s (6.1) assists per game is the most of any player on Houston’s roster in 2024-25. League insider Marc Stein has mentioned the Rockets as a team to monitor for a trade this season.
He noted the Rockets are looking at Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Stein mentioned that Durant is Houston’s “dream” trade target. It’s unlikely that Phoenix will trade Durant away as he’s still arguably the best player on their roster. If the Rockets are unsuccessful in acquiring Durant, Stein said they are eyeing Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time league MVP is in his 12th season with the Bucks and the team is struggling. Insiders around the league have been talking about Antetokounmpo in trade talks for weeks now. Houston is the latest team to join the trade discussion. We’ll see if the Rockets are successful in making a trade for either Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
