Did the Milwaukee Bucks have any legit interest in sending their franchise player to the Houston Rockets? Houston’s general manager Rafael Stone made an appearance as a guest on ESPN Radio Houston, where he cleared the air once and for all.

Per the popular GM, Giannis Antetokounmpo was highly coveted by the Rockets, as Houston was absolutely willing to get a deal done. However, general manager Jon Horst ultimately said no and Antetokounmpo was not available for potential trade scenarios.

“I deal well with Jon Horst, I really like him,” Stone said. “Jon was very clear that they weren’t doing anything. So, that was that.”

Since the beginning of this year’s offseason, rumors have circulated throughout the league on the future of Antetokounmpo. The 30-year-old said he was willing to keep an open-mind and wanted to still compete for a championship, white reiterating his love for Milwaukee and not wanting to leave.

This spurred on rampant rumors and reports of potential trade packages, teams interested, and if he would ever request a trade out of Milwaukee. In the end, unless Giannis wants it, the Bucks have no plans to trade away the player who delivered them a championship back in 2021.

According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, Damian Lillard has always had the plans of making a return to the Portland Trail Blazers before his retirement.

Even before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, he reportedly told people his plan of making a return to Portland.

“In just two years, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” Lillard said in late July at his introductory news conference. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect this to happen at some point, but for it to happen this soon, I wasn’t expecting this.”

Ultimately, his plan of returning home was sped up due to his Achilles tear. Once that happened and the Bucks no longer wanted him, Lillard was ready to return to Portland and enact his plan.

By the time Lillard is able to rejoin the Blazers, he will be 36 years old when he is fully healed from his Achilles injury.

According to multiple reports, spearheaded by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the situation with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future with the team remains uncertain.

“Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee, or whether he will be leaving,” said Charania. “And so he’s continuing to evaluate his future. I reported it in mid May that he’s evaluating whether his best fit is in Milwaukee, or is it elsewhere? And that process is continuing.

‘”There’s been some very real conversations over the last week or so. The constant question that Giannis has, though, is: ‘Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be the one for this upcoming year and 2026-27?’ He wants to win a second championship. So he’s asking that question over and over. There are multiple teams waiting in the wings, potentially, if Giannis this offseason still makes that decision.”

His future has been unstable since the team lost in the postseason and during their attempt of trying to reshape the roster to compete for a championship.

It’s unclear when he will make a decision about his future, but, for now, it remains very unstable without a clear ending.