The Houston Rockets were Big Game hunting this offseason, and their efforts landed them a future Hall of Famer in former MVP Kevin Durant.
While their pursuit of Durant was well-reported on throughout the summer, it appears as though the two-time NBA champion was not at the top of Rockets general manager Rafael Stone's wish list. Instead, new reporting indicates that a much younger former MVP and champion was the superstar that he attempted to acquire first.
Unfortunately, those negotiations did not go very far, as the initial inquiry was reportedly met with a hard no from a fellow general manager that Stone says he has a good relationship with.
Rockets GM Rafael Stone on if there was any truth to the Giannis-to-Houston trade buzz at the beginning of the offseason
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 22, 2025
"No. I deal well with Jon Horst (Bucks GM), I really like him. Jon was very clear that they weren’t doing anything. So, that was that."
(h/t @BucksRealm) pic.twitter.com/aeHetLgXlz
Rockets GM Reveals Failed Offseason Pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo
Stone recently revealed that there wasn't any truth behind the rumors about the Rockets potentially trading for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although the Houston GM is familiar with his Milwaukee counterpart, Jon Horst, there was never a trade in the cards.
Houston inquiring whether the Bucks would even be willing to have a conversation regarding the availability of Antetokounmpo makes perfect sense, given the assets they had available at the time to include in a potential trade.
At the same time, Stone receiving a quick response saying that it wasn't going to happen is not surprising either. With Antetokounmpo under contract through the 2026-27 season, at least, there is no reason for Jon Horst to rush into trade talks concerning one of the generational talents in the league today.
If the Rockets were to negotiate a deal with the Bucks for the former MVP, it would have certainly cost them a lot more than Durant did to convince Milwaukee to ship its best player out of town. That ultimately would have left Houston in a spot where they wouldn't have been able to retain some of the young, promising players currently in the fold.
The Bucks trading Antetokounmpo at some point is still on the table. However, in that moment, Milwaukee had no interest in entertaining the idea of a potential deal with Houston.