US reporter revealed: The Rockets are willing to exchange Shin Kyung + Smith + draft pick for Antetokounmpo

May 16th, on Monday local time, well-known sports reporter Shams Charania revealed that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was "open to leaving Milwaukee for the first time in his career. It was subsequently reported that if Antetokounmpo applies for a trade, the Spurs and the Rockets will be the two teams worth paying attention to.

Early this rumor has made latest progress. According to NBC Sports reporter Kurt Helin, the Rockets are willing to add All-Star center Alperen Shinkin to a potential Antetokounmpo deal, although it is not clear whether the Bucks are more inclined to get a deal, including Jaylen Green. Helin pointed out that forward Jabbarry Smith is likely to be part of the Rockets' package offer, and the Rockets have a large number of future first-round picks that can be used as bargaining chips.

If this report is true, then the Rockets are likely to be willing to give up Shin Kyung for players of Antetokounmpo - any player in the league can theoretically be placed on the trading negotiating table when facing a superstar like Antetokounmpo. Although there have been previous reports that the Rockets regarded Amen Thompson as a "not selling product", they did not make the same promise to Shin Kyung.

From the perspective of lineup matching, it is not unreasonable to use Shin Kyung as a trading chip, because if Amen Thompson, Antetokounmpo and Shin Kyung form the core lineup, the overall outer space will be quite limited - none of the three are stable three-point shooters at present.

Shen Jing played 76 regular season games for the Rockets this season, averaging 31.5 minutes per game, contributing 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals, with a shooting percentage of 49.6% and a free throw percentage of 69.2%. In the Rockets' first round series against the Warriors, the 22-year-old Shin Kyung performed well, averaging 20.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 36.6 minutes per game, shooting 45.0% from the field and 62.5% from free throws.

In October last year, Shin-kyung signed a five-year, $185 million rookie contract with the Rockets, which will take effect from next season and have player options in the 2029-30 season. Currently, Antetokounmpo's contract with the Bucks lasts at least until the 2026-27 season and has a player option in the 2027-28 season.