NBA rumors: Rockets' superstar trade dreams get far-fetched update
06/29/2024 02:07 AM
The dust has settled on the 2024 NBA Draft, but here the Houston Rockets are, still unable to fulfill their dream of pulling off a blockbuster trade for a superstar to expedite their contending timeline. And now, it seems like a trade of such magnitude is looking more and more unlikely for the Rockets with each passing day.
However, the Rockets’ inability to pull off a major blockbuster trade for a star wing isn’t necessarily due to the unavailability of prospective trade targets. The Rockets, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, “are only interested in star players whose timelines fit better with their young core” as per league sources.
This focus on players that fit the timeline of their young core means that an all-out pursuit of veteran stars such as Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George that much more unlikely. Amick and Slater brought up the Rockets’ decision to pass on a James Harden reunion as evidence that they’re not really in the business of acquiring veterans who are approaching the wrong side of 30.
The Rockets, added Amick and Slater, are setting their sights on younger potential franchise cornerstones in Donovan Mitchell, Zion Williamson, and Devin Booker. Mitchell is well on his way to signing a huge extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while both Williamson and Booker are under contract for four more seasons, making it close to impossible that the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, respectively, trade them away.
Something has to change for the Rockets if they were to pull off a blockbuster trade this offseason. The good news is that they have time on their side. They have a solid core of players who are younger than 23, which means that they should have a few more years to wait if their prime trade targets become available.
Rockets’ young core is only getting better
Back in March, the Rockets went on a heater that showed fans that they are much closer to playoff contention than many think. Alperen Sengun went down with injury during that time, but the Rockets’ other youngsters, such as Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr., all stepped up their games.
It’s important to note that all four of those aforementioned players are 22 years of age or younger at the moment. That quartet should already make 95 percent of the league jealous. But then a Rockets team that was already rich in quality young players only got richer with the addition of Reed Sheppard, the sweet shooting guard out of Kentucky who went third overall in this year’s draft.
The Rockets are adding Sheppard to the young bench crew of Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason. They also traded for AJ Griffin in a buy-low trade. Griffin is only 21 years old; he flashed some nice 3 and D potential during his rookie season before fading into obscurity during the 2023-24 campaign.
As mentioned earlier, the Rockets can wait and see if they need to blow all their assets right now in an attempt to win now or whether the young players they already have on the roster could step up and be the star the team needs. Alas, the Rockets roster is going to be very expensive soon, with Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun both up for extensions, which might explain the team’s urgency to grab who they think is the missing piece to their contending puzzle.
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