Woj: Houston will be open to trading pick for player to accelerate rebuild

I’ve been more worried about this happening then not getting into the top 4.

 

They accelerate it to a Play In 8th seed failure.

 

Maybe Cade pulls a Steve Francis & we swap #2 plus late first and Wood for 1st. Otherwise lol. Not happening

 

I don't get this paradoxical smoke thrown at Tilman about trading the pick all the sudden ...?

The overwhelming (and well-deserved) hate thrown at him ever since the Harden debacle was that Tilman directed Stone to take the cheapest deal, rather than the best deal
Even if you prefer picks to players, it's pretty indisputable that the subsequent Oladipo swap was purely to save money
Smaller deals stockpiled even more draft capital in exchange for dumping vet payroll
Then the playing rotation volatility clearly demonstrated a full commit to the tanking method of bottoming out for lotto gold

Now that his approach has finally paid off with the chance to add a new franchise player in a fantastic draft for a bargain rookie contract ...
Tilman is now going to direct Stone to offload his grand prize???

And all of that just so he can create his own NBA season Groundhog Day by bringing in Beal ?!?!?
This move would be 2020 Harden Deja Vu:
- combo scoring guard
- on a max contract
- coming off a scoring title
- trying to escape Westbrook
- and 2nd-Rd purgatory
- by forcing is way to a new pair of SuperFriends teammates
- so he can chase his first ring

Stone is not doing his job properly if he isn't evaluating any and every avenue to rebuilding this team
If either Luka or Giannis pulls a Harden this summer, Stone would be absolutely insane not to investigate options for either player
MVP contenders just entering their primes are the most valuable asset in the NBA (not high lotto picks)

Nowadays when those players move, it's always to form a new super-squad with other eilte players
- LBJ to MIA, CLE, LAL
- AD to LAL
- KD to GS, BRK
- Kawhi to TOR, LAC
- Harden to BK

These teamups are always prearranged by the players themselves first and follow the same basic procedures:
- open negotiations by the player publicly requesting a trade if under contract
- inform their respective Owners / GMs / Agents of player's preferred destination
- instruct front office to hash out the details and make the deal happen (or else!)
- Public notification of the executed trades / signings is the next and final step that matters

EVERYTHING said / tweeted / hinted / leaked by any involved party before the final deal is announced amounts to a bunch of farts in outer space
If the Rockets are ripping zero-G gas about shopping picks .... it would only be for Luka, Giannis, or another similar caliber of player
Getting either of those 2 at this stage of their career would be 2012 Harden Deja Vu
That's the good one that I would love to recreate if possible

It is highly unlikely anyone we pick #2 will ever develop into a perennial MVP contender of that caliber
And there is a bust risk with every rookie that simply does not exist anymore for Luka or Giannis
With good health, both look like sure bets to be well on their way to HoF careers already

 

Exactly. This is the man who said Paul had the worst contract in the NBA.

 

Seriously, the only way to draft this year picks would be for Luka. Noone else...

 

I don't think it's crazy to take a known allstar under age 28 for a pick that could be a bust...

Even if not a bust, you could be getting a DeAndre Ayton or DeAngelo Russell... not game changers...

Also, "leagues worst record" that they tanked to get? This team is better than that just from not shutting guys down let alone a ton of injuries and turnover... nba record for number of starting lineups...

With health they are a mediocre team last year.... adding an allstar to that should get them in playoffs discussion with additional upside as guys mature...

 

You wouldn't trade it for Luka or Zion? That would be stupid.

 

Zion doesn’t strike me as a long term prospect given his build and reliance on athleticism. Take Green and build.

 

Fingers crossed Tilman doesn't find a way to screw this up.

"Wall and #2 pick for RJ Barrett? DEAL!"

-Signed Tilman Fertitta

 

Yes, it would be. The Rockets are not one All-Star away from being a contender. They have no core right now. No identity. Wall and Gordon are only on the roster because Stone can't move them. Otherwise, they're a random assortment of players from varying ages with not a single legitimate current star in the bunch. Adding an All-Star to that right now accomplishes what exactly? Gets them 30-35 wins and a poor lottery pick next year? I'll pass.

They need to build this roster from the ground up, and it starts through the draft. They need to identify key foundational pieces and add stars that are on the same timeline as their young guys. If you go out and trade for a borderline star in his late 20s, it will set the franchise back five years and delay a full-on rebuild that needs to happen right now.

Are you joking? They didn't just tank, chief. They were terrible. They had that one stretch after the Harden trade where we thought they could be a competent team and when Wood went down, we realized very quickly that they were not. Wall sucks, period. We don't know what Wood is yet, because the dude can't stay on the floor. Gordon is a fine 6th man, but he'll be 33 next year and he's not the star you need to build around. KPJ was insanely inconsistent and inefficient. Martin and Tate were solid, but they're role players.

This is not a good basketball team, dude. Also, if your goal is to just squeak by as a playoff team, then I question your priorities. I don't want a team that "gets in the playoff discussion" next year. I want a team that's built to be a legitimate contender for a decade in the long-term. You don't accomplish that by shipping off the No. 2 pick in a stacked draft.

 

I prefer Wood, House, DJ Wilson & #24 for Oubre, Wiseman & #7
Raptors are about 3 years ahead of GS in their contention window, and need a full rebuild now, so Wood makes little difference there


Warriors are all-in right now to load up for a final 2-3 year push in search of another ring before the Curry-Klay-Dray dynasty ages out of contention
They essentially accelerate Wiseman's future potential by converting it into Wood's current production
And they do so while also trimming the payroll a bit

Wood would be an excellent fit on their team for several reasons:
- He can provide space inside for his teammates to attack the paint by drawing out bigs
- He can finally give them the above the rim, athletic finisher inside they have lacked since Javelle McGhee left
- He is young enough to still have upside potential, but is already consistently productive at a level Wiseman may never achieve
- His bargain contract expires at the same time the contention window should be closing, so they can re-up to build around him or let him walk and start completely over

New GS:
Wood - Looney
Dray - DJW
Wiggins - House
Klay - Poole
Curry - Bazemore

That is a real threat to win West next couple of years if everybody stays healthy and returns to form
House and Wilson help replenish Forward depth lost in Oubre with 2 cheap, short contracts for young vets with playoff experience
Then they still have the 2 extra picks (#14, 24) to build a better bench, whether it be cheap rookies or swaps for more seasoned vets


Rockets can similarly sync their assets along a better timeline with this deal

Wiseman has a long ways to go, but he may have more long-term potential than CWood overall
He can certainly finish inside with explosive athleticism like Wood already
Jumper could eventually become solid, and I actually prefer his DEF potential as he shows tenacity defending inside
Room to grow without pressure and regular playing time could really unlock his star-level potential

Adding Oubre on expiring gives us a 1 year tryout to see if he's worth keeping as a solid 2way wing who could be a starter on a champion
He is still young enough (25) to be an essential role player for many more years if he clicks next to our young core
If it's not a great fit, or Stone has other plans with the cap room, we can move him before the deadline to a contender and stash more picks

Unless Cade drops, it's Mobley for me at #2
I'm holding onto the #23, and willing to move up if needed, to make sure we can secure Jaden Springer as well
He is going to become the next Marcus Smart for somebody and I want it to be here as a Rocket

The #7 pick could easily become the real prize of this deal
With the top 5 all but set in stone, the only unknown is who OKC picks at #6
Either Jalen Johnson or Scottie Barnes is guaranteed to be on the board for #7
I'm taking one of those 2 here
Cade, Jalen & Scottie are almost clones of each-other
I'll take either of the more athletic guys and hope the 3pt shot develops

Finally we bring back Olynyk as our 3rd big in FA on a reasonable 2 year deal to complete a wonderful off-season
If we can get anybody to take Bradley, Augustin, Nwaba, Brown off our hands before the deadline, even better, but I doubt it
They will be totally useless here as fringe rotation players with zero upside
We will have to leave replenishing the PG position with fresh blood until next off-season, but the expensive vets should be able to hold it down adequately enough for this year

Wiseman - Olynyk - Barnes
Mobley - KMJ - Nwaba
Oubre - Tate - Brown
KPJ - Springer - Bradley
Wall - EGo - Augustin

I love this roster to jump-start the rebuild with a fun, young, athletic team bursting with teases of future brilliance on both ends of the court

Seems like Stone needs to get on the phone to the Bay Area

 

lot of wild-ass predictions here.

any of you babies in this thread going to admit you're wrong when none of this happens? or will you just move on to the next braindead assumption?

 

Saying things like this and leaking things like that are good. You want other teams to think you’re open to dealing that pick so you get a **** ton of calls to at worst know what it’s value is. Meanwhile you do all your due diligence on the top picks and figure out who your guy is. That’s a good thing seeing this.

doesn’t mean a trade will happen at all but the draft is silly season. It’s all disinformation to get teams calling and or having guys drop to you.

 

I still would not trade for luka or Zion

 

I remember watching this TV show "Coach" as a kid with Craig T. Nelson. In one episode, the fake NFL team he was the HC/GM for has the #1 pick in the draft and the owner ends up trading the pick for $1 million and a herd of cows or something.

 

Pretty interesting. Similar thoughts about a Golden State trade centered around Wood (totally agree it makes sense for Golden State's and Houston's timelines, though debate can be had over the 7th pick inclusion).

Wood and his contract (2 years left) don't necessarily fit with the Rockets' timeline, but at the same point I'm not 100% sold on pairing Mobley with Wood/Wiseman. At best Mobley is a hybrid of Durant and Davis, but I haven't seen enough of his play.

Green seems to have perhaps more upside, but hey at least it's exciting to finally speculate.

 

Cunningham is not going to Houston or Cleveland for tryouts. The guy is set on being the #1 pick.

 

I think a lot of us are very concerned about this.

 

Don't even let Tilman get this idea in his head. He might not trade it for a herd of cows. But a couple of restaurants is not beyond him.