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The speculation began when the Milwaukee Bucks struggled at the beginning of the season with a 2-8 record, while the Houston Rockets had a strong start in the competitive Western Conference. Many wondered how long it would take before the highly competitive Giannis Antetokounmpo considered asking for a trade. With Houston's abundance of talented young players and valuable draft picks, they emerged as a desirable trade partner for the Bucks.

The problem: Neither side is interested. At least not right now.

Milwaukee believes it can fix its problems. It has used a soft stretch of the schedule and epic play from Antetokounmpo to win 4-of-5 and start to right the ship,

with Khris Middleton possibly returning soon

Bucks wouldn’t trade Antetokounmpo unless he demanded it,

The Rockets are not interested in breaking up their core for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources tell @TheAthletic. Houston, sitting at 10-5 and a game out of first in the West, remains focused on developing its young players as a collective.

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) November 20, 2024

There will not be any serious Antetokounmpo trade talk until next offseason, at the earliest. Antetokounmpo's three-year contract extension, which he signed a year ago, doesn't kick in until next season.

How good can a core of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Amen Thompson be in Houston? Right now they are 11-5 and third in the West, the Rockets wisely are going to be patient and see how far Ime Udoka can lead this group.

If Antetokounmpo does eventually ask out, it's easy to see the Rockets being one of the teams in the mix to land him (along with Brooklyn, and maybe Golden State, although any deal with the Warriors is challenging because of the tax aprons).

For now, just enjoy watching the young Rockets play basketball, they have become one of my favorite League Pass teams of the season.