Rockets On The Prowl: Houston Tipped to Make Major Trade for NBA Rival’s Stars

The Houston Rockets could be one of the biggest players this offseason, but it will all be determined by how the NBA playoffs go.

The Houston Rockets have quietly boasted the second-best record in the Western Conference for much of the season. While fans and experts alike seem to prefer talking about the Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder are the teams to beat and have a season-long track record of excellence.

However, the Rockets are a very young team and lack a traditional “superstar.” Luckily, they have tradeable contracts, a sizable stockpile of draft picks, and a head coach in Ime Udoka who players seem to want to play for, making them a destination.

As the Rockets look ahead to the offseason, they’ve been linked to some stars including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson, although Kevin Durant seems like the most reasonable target.

However, depending on how the postseason goes, Houston might change their plans for the offseason. Regardless, the Phoenix Suns will be front and center in the eventual rumors.

Rockets’ offseason plans depend on Suns, postseason success

This season, the Rockets are all but a lock to enter the postseason with home-court advantage. Thanks to the Dallas Mavericks’ failings, the Suns should be able to make the Play-In Tournament, and at best will have a first-round matchup against the first-seeded Thunder or whoever ends up being the second seed.

Depending on the Rockets’ degree of success this spring, the team might pivot away from Durant or go all-in on the forward.

“I think this is the playoff run that’s going to determine everything, because if these last three or four years have been about collecting information and seeing, what sticks, what needs to stay, what needs to be molded or mended,” said The Athletic’s Kelly Iko. “I think it’s clear anybody watching this team that they need a go-to guy in the half court.”

While Durant will certainly be on the trade market, the Suns could be talked into trading Devin Booker as well, depending on how their season goes.

“Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, those are guys that they’ve looked at for a while,” Iko said of the Rockets.

“Phoenix could sneak into that Play-In somehow, some way, maybe get the eighth, the seventh seed, and play Houston in round one right now. That would be a fascinating storyline because of the implications for the future.

“But if I’m the Rockets, I’m definitely keeping them on speed dial, because like I said, you have leverage over their immediate future because, everything has gone to s—, you know, for Phoenix this season.”

Rockets to pick one of three options

If Houston manages to make it to the Conference Finals or at least put up a good fight against a more experienced team in the second round, then it stands to reason that general manager Rafael Stone will opt to stay the course.

If his young core can prove that they can win and succeed without veteran help, there’s no reason to break up their group in pursuit of a superstar.

However, young forward Jabari Smith Jr. and young guard Jalen Green are both on tradeable contracts. Replacing Smith Jr. with Durant (by tossing in some draft picks and matching salary) seems like a likely course for the Rockets.

However, Green is a streaky player who has never faced the pressure of the postseason. If the lights prove to be too bright and he falls short, he could instead be the odd man out, in which case the Rockets could make a strong push to add Booker into their backcourt next to Fred VanVleet, who seems all-in with Houston.

The Rockets, unlike the Suns, have flexibility and a handful of options, and with three draft picks owed to them by the Suns in coming years, Houston is a frontrunner to take advantage of Phoenix.