4. Milwaukee Bucks
As much as the thought of James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo being on the same team all year long would be enticing, especially given their reported feud, I simply don’t believe the Milwaukee Bucks have enough assets that would even keep the Houston Rockets on a potential call.
After dumping three first-round picks in the trade for Jrue Holiday, the Bucks can really only trade one first-round pick and would have to throw in Khris Middleton and Donte DiVincenzo to try and keep the Rockets intrigued. Ultimately, as much as I like Middleton and DiVincenzo as pieces for the Bucks, they really don’t make sense for Houston.
Assuming that Houston comes to the realization that they’re going to lose Harden, I figure they’d want young players and future picks in exchange. Middleton is an all-star talent, but already 29 years old. This is a solid core package for many players, but for James Harden I’m not sure it’s even a package that would be entertained by Houston.
You can’t help but wonder what type of offer Milwaukee could’ve put together had they not emptied the chest on Jrue Holiday.