No NBA team has ever erased a 0-3 deficit to win a playoff series. The New York Knicks better hope the Houston Rockets become the first—and it has everything to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As William Guillory of The Athletic points outs, the two-time MVP will “be a name many connect with” Houston if its postseason ends in disappointment. While I’m not the arbiter of what constitutes disappointment, I’m pretty sure getting clobbered by a Los Angeles Lakers squad missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves qualifies as a massive letdown.
This is bad news for the Knicks. Potentially.
The Knicks can’t compete with what the Rockets could offer
Look, even though the playoffs are far from over, we know New York is going to be in on Giannis. We also know that its best package of two first-round picks, swaps, and anyone on the roster not named Jalen Brunson won’t stack up against the list of other potential suitors. This includes Houston.
Not only do the Rockets control all of their own first-round picks after this season, but they have swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets in 2027, and one extra selection in 2029. They also have a smattering of imperfect-but-still-intriguing building blocks in Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr.
Even if the Milwaukee Bucks don’t believe Houston has a cornerstone-type to offer, the various permutations that Rockets can throw at them easily outstrip any package New York can hope to build.
New York needs Houston to get less desperate
Measures of Houston’s impending desperation will vary depending on the person. On the one hand, getting trounced by these Lakers is disastrous. On the other hand, the Rockets have not had Fred VanVleet all season, do not have Steven Adams now, and Kevin Durant has missed two of their first-round tilts.
Still, last summer’s KD trade foists implicit urgency upon Houston. You do not acquire, and then extend, someone entering their age-37 season if you don’t intend to be ultra-aggressive.
Getting swept or suffering a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the shorthanded Lakers and geriatric LeBron James is nothing if not an impetus for a major overhaul. The push for seismic change only grows when considering Houston’s finances. It has already paid KD, Sengun, and Jabari. Thompson is extension eligible this summer. Tari Eason is a restricted free agent.
Dramatic action is going to be the Rockets’ default. That is, unless they figure out a way to save face against the Lakers.
History says they won’t. And let’s face it, they almost assuredly won’t. But the Knicks and their fans better hope the Rockets do something, anything, to decrease the likelihood that they go after Giannis this summer. Their own hopes of landing the megastar depend on it.
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