Great Stone! Before the Rockets trade Antetokounmpo, they should get a pitcher like Clay

On May 24, according to NBA reporter Sam Amick's tracking report, the Rockets are in the lead in the battle to get Bucks forward Antetokounmpo. Currently, the two most trade-worthy players in the Rockets lineup are Shin Kyung and Amen Thompson. The Rockets management has already spoken through the media that Amen Thompson is a non-sale product for the team. This means that Shen Jing will most likely become the main bargaining chip in trading Antetokounmpo. However, Sam Amick believes that for Antetokounmpo, Rockets coach Uduka needs to make adjustments to his existing playing style.

If the Rockets use Armen Thompson and Antetokounmpo as the core team in the future, the team needs to match the pair with 3 pitchers from the outside. In addition to Jaylen Green and Jabbarry Smith, Uduka also needs pitchers of the level of Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson. Next season, Kevin Durant's contract is as high as $54.71 million, and if the Rockets want to get him through the trade, they need to provide the Suns with multiple future first rounds. The Rockets' other option is Klay Thompson, whose contract will be only $14.19 million next season. Moreover, the Rockets have the right to swap the first round with the Mavericks in 2029. The Rockets only need to provide enough contracts to get this historically-level three-pointer.

Throughout his career, Klay Thompson averaged 3.7 three-pointers per game, and had 14 three-pointers in a single game and 37 points in a single quarter. Klay Thompson's scoring explosiveness is historically level, even though he has entered the late stages of his career. Sam Amick reported that the Rockets management believes that Durant and the team's current development trajectory do not match. According to Rockets reporter Kelly Iko, the Suns proposed to trade with Durant in the middle of the season to get the Rockets Jabbarry Smith, Reed Shepard and Dillon Brooks, as well as the first rounds in 2027 and 2029, but were rejected by the Rockets.