1 player Houston Rockets must trade in 2025 NBA offseason

Drafted second overall in 2021, Jalen Green was highly-regarded as a prospect due to his explosive scoring potential from all three levels on the court. His athleticism was breathtaking, and if only he could put all the tools together and be an efficient scorer, he could perhaps blossom into the Devin Booker/Anthony Edwards-mold of a franchise cornerstone.

Suffice to say, Green hasn’t been able to put it all together. There have been flashes of him transforming into that unstoppable scoring force that is deadly with his pull-up game and can get to the basket at will, but most times, Green’s efficiency from the field hasn’t been up to par and he doesn’t exactly impact the game too much if his shot isn’t falling.

The Warriors series might be Green’s swan song with the Rockets, and if it was, then he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory. Green did have that excellent Game 2 where he scored 38 points and was unstoppable, but as has been the case throughout his career, that was more of an aberration than the norm. Outside of that Game 2, Green averaged 9.2 points on 31.1 percent shooting, which is simply horrific.

It’s not quite clear which team would actively seek out Green in a trade with the Rockets. He’s only 23 years of age, which means that he has a ton of room to grow as a player, but now that he’s set to make around $105 million over the next three seasons (with a player option for the 2027-28 season), the expectations for him are only about to grow.

Sure, 20-point scorers don’t exactly grow on trees. Green has averaged over 20 points per game over a full season twice in his career already, and given the right ecosystem, he could perhaps thrive as a secondary ballhandler and an explosive scorer who shouldn’t have to bear the responsibility of leading a team’s offense.

But with the Rockets having other young players to prioritize, such as Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, Houston might be better off dangling Green in consolidation trades to try and improve the team’s championship equity before they have to pay the likes of Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr., to name a few, their post-rookie deal contracts.

Is Giannis Antetokounmpo a realistic trade target?

The Milwaukee Bucks’ long-term outlook is looking bleak, especially in the aftermath of the Achilles injury that Damian Lillard suffered. They don’t control their first-round pick until 2031, the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo is aging, and they don’t have much in the way of appealing trade assets. Simply put, their championship dreams, at least in the short-term look cooked.

This is what’s fueling trade talks surrounding Antetokounmpo, although one would think that he would be untouchable unless he requests a trade from the Bucks. If that scenario comes to fruition, the Rockets should be all over the phone, contacting Bucks general Jon Horst about potential scenarios that would bring Antetokounmpo to Houston.

The Rockets can put together a very appealing package built around the Phoenix Suns’ future draft picks as well as promising young players such as Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason. Amen Thompson could, perhaps, be dangled as well, although the Rockets would prefer to keep that wrecking ball of a youngster who’s destined for superstardom in the near future.