The Rockets received an A grade! US media revealed a 3-party, 5-player trade plan: Pack Shepard + 2 first-round Brunson

Team Rockets gets an A rating! When Giannis Antetokounmpo is once again involved in trade rumors, Houston media "SpaceCityScoop" revealed a three-party, five-person trade plan. Through the trade, the Rockets will pack Shepard, Van Jordan + 2 first rotations, and Brunson will join forces with Durant to compete for the championship.

Potential trading plan

The Rockets get: Brunson;

The Knicks get: Antetokounmpo;

The Bucks get: Van Jordan + Shepard + Hart + the 2028 Rockets first-round pick + the 2030 Rockets first-round pick + 4 second-round picks from the Knicks.

This trade plan proposal is not groundless, but comes from ESPN reporter Shams' report on Antetokounmpo's potential trade. It was revealed that if the latter leaves the Bucks, he will only consider joining the Knicks.

As a large-market team, the Knicks have spent the past few seasons using large-scale operations to introduce second-tier stars such as Bridges and Towns in an attempt to compete for the championship.

Unfortunately, the team's current lineup did not show absolute ability to compete for the championship last season. In the end, it was a pity that it stopped in the Eastern Conference Finals. If it were not for the advantage in whistleblowing, it might even be an upset loss to the dark horse Pistons and stop them in the first round.

Considering that many teams such as the Nuggets have fully strengthened their lineups during the offseason, and the defending champion Thunder retain all core rotations, the Knicks are still excluded from the first tier of the championship in the new season.

However, because Tatum was seriously injured and the Celtics were forced to enter a "transition year", the Knicks will actually have the best chance to break out of the Eastern Conference in the new season.

So no matter what angle you consider it, as long as Antetokounmpo, a superstar who has led the team to win a championship, enters the market, the Knicks have no reason to refuse to pursue him. They will not hesitate to send away the current core Brunson, and they should even pay more in the first round to facilitate the transaction. After all, superstars like Antetokounmpo are rare but not available.

The Rockets received an A rating

As the third party in this deal, the Rockets are actually the real winner. Therefore, Houston media "SpaceCityScoop" also supported this transaction plan and gave it a high rating of A.

The Rockets' situation is not as difficult as that of the Knicks, but they are similar in their willingness to compete for the championship. Especially after the introduction of the aging Durant, famous speaker Tim Legler even used the term failure to win the new season as a failure to measure this Rockets team.

The reason why the outside world has such high expectations for the Rockets is mainly because before Van Jordan was seriously injured, the Rockets had become the first-tier championship favorites with a series of amazing operations during the offseason. At one time, the odds were only inferior to the defending champion Thunder.

As a result, after Van Jordan was seriously injured, there was an obvious vacancy in the Rockets' back line, and the championship odds also fell to fifth place in the second tier.

Judging from the performance in the preseason, this Rockets team is indeed ready to compete for the championship. They have extremely luxurious staffing in the interior and forward, but the back line is too thin.

Even if Sheppard's overall performance in the preseason has improved, there is still a huge gap between filling Van Jordan's vacancy. Amen has not been able to support the role of the first ball carrier, and Shen Jing and Durant are still needed to share the pressure.

In contrast, Brunson is the perfect starting point guard candidate. Even compared to Van Jordan, he is a higher-level star, especially his performance at critical moments. Brunson is the best key scorer and Mr. Big Heart currently in service.

Therefore, for the Rockets and Knicks, if the Bucks are willing to accept such a trade plan, they have no reason to refuse.

And based on the actual value of Antetokounmpo and Brunson, both the Rockets and the Knicks should pay more first-round picks and first-round swaps to compensate the Bucks in the transaction to truly facilitate the transaction.