“Jon Was Very Clear” - Houston Rockets GM Says the Bucks Aren’t Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo 1 Jan 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket as Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

'Jon Was Very Clear' – Houston Rockets GM Says the Bucks Aren’t Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 7:37 AM ET

There have been questions about the Milwaukee Bucks‘ plans for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Rumors indicate that there’s a chance the Greek star will request a trade out of Milwaukee and continue his career elsewhere. However, Houston Rockets‘ general manager Rafael Stone confirmed on Friday that there is still loyalty in the NBA, despite the rampant player movement.

The Bucks have not been successful since they won the NBA championship in 2021. The farthest they’ve been to was the Eastern Conference semifinals. Following that, the franchise continued to struggle and had three straight seasons where they were eliminated in the first round.

This started rumors that maybe Antetokounmpo isn’t happy in Milwaukee. It also didn’t help that the Greek Freak has had a few cryptic comments about playing for the Bucks. Even heading into this offseason, he said that he’s open to the idea of continuing his career with a different team.

Stone appeared as a guest on ESPN Houston. Stone was asked about the state of Antetokounmpo and if there’s a chance he could get traded. The executive affirmed that Jon Horst, the general manager of the Bucks, has made it clear that he has no intention of dealing his franchise hero.

“Jon [Host] was very clear that they weren’t doing anything,” Stone said. “So that was that.”

As for the Houston Rockets, it looks like they won’t make a few moves in a while. This summer, they had arguably the biggest trade in the association. Houston acquired All-Star forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns, making them one of the top candidates to win the NBA championship.

The Houston Rockets’ general manager admitted that he didn’t celebrate after the trade

“Jon Was Very Clear” - Houston Rockets GM Says the Bucks Aren’t Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo 2 Mar 30, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) fight for position in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets’ trade for Durant was one of the most eventful moves of the offseason. It even left Stone exhausted. He admitted that he didn’t celebrate after the trade was made official during his appearance at ESPN Houston. Given that it was a record seven-team deal, not having the energy to do so was understandable.

“I definitely didn’t celebrate. It was long. Like, we understood what they wanted to get for Kevin, and it just didn’t make sense for our team — starting, I don’t know, a year ago,” Stone said. “So, there were all these conversations, and it was a very, very long process. I think from my perspective — obviously, we did the trade. We’re really happy with it. I’ve gotten to know Kevin a little bit, and I’m really happy with him as a person.”

The Rockets are looking forward to a fruitful season with Durant as their new go-to scorer.

“Jon Was Very Clear” - Houston Rockets GM Says the Bucks Aren’t Trading Giannis Antetokounmpo 3 Feb 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles against Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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