Each of us have a variety of ideas about how the Rockets should progress with the rebuild going into season 3 sans Harden. Give us your plan using Trades/ the draft and free agency about how the Rockets would look going into next season and what your desired outcome would be. This is just sort of a consolidation of multiple threads which will hopefully justify its own.
Trade Houston out: Wood, Mathews, Tate and pick 17 Houston in: Mason Plumlee, Kemba Walker, pick 11 and Dallas’ 2023 first rounder Charlotte out: Plumlee, PJ Washington, pick 15 Charlotte in: Wood, Mathews and pick 17 NYK out: Walker, pick 11 and Dallas’ 2023 frp NYK in: Washington, Tate and pick 15 Draft Pick 3: Paolo Banchero Pick 11: Tari Eason Free agency I would be looing for guys who can help transition the younger players from Rookies/Sophomores to contributing members of the rotation. Kemba Walker, EG, and Plumlee would be kept around for that reason but I would probably look to add one more voice. One guy that interests me in that role is Thaddeus Young. He has been praised as a true pro by multiple coaches and has been described as an amazing teammate by his peers. I think he would be the perfect fit as a guy looking at retirement but not wanting to leave an easy final contract on the table. 2022/2023 line up PG KPJ/Nix/Walker SG Green/JC/EG SF Martin/Eason/Nwaba PF Banchero/Young/Eason C Sengun/Garuba/Plumlee That is a team with flexibility up and down the line up. There is a blend of youth and experience althought the young guys probably account for 90% of the minutes played most nights. That team can switch everything on defense and would have shooting surrounding the heliocentric talents of Green and Banchero with Sengun and KPJ as ancillary facilitators. AND the Rockets would have 3 first rounders to play with to move up in the 2023 draft. Or to trade for veterans to round out the squad...
Draft Banchero and BPA at 17. Trade Wood and Gordon for Westbrook and LAL 2027 FRP. Bench both of them. Suck and get another top 5 pick. Allow Westbrick and Wallful to expire at year end and throw deals at Jokic and Middleton/Wiggins. You now have your starters set plus a top 5 lotto pick, all the Nets picks and a LAL pick going forward.
1. Hornets hire MDA. Rockets-Hornets Trade: Wood + #17 > PJ + Plumlee + #13 + 2023 SRP 2. Rockets-Hawks Trade: EGo/PJ/Plumlee > Jalen Johnson + salary dump 3. Rockets-Thunder Trade: Tate + #3 + 2023 Bucks FRP > #2 + 2023 SRP #2 - Chet Holmgren #13 - Tari Eason KPJ/Nix Green/Jaygup Eason/Mathews/Queen Johnson/KJ Chet/Sengun
#17, 2023 Bucks pick to Detroit, Grant / Wood to Portland, #7 to Houston Wall, Gordon, Tate for any future draft capital Draft Chet Holmgren with #3 Draft AJ Griffin with #7 MLE to Thomas Bryant KPJ / Christopher / Nix Green / Mathews Griffin / KMJ / Nwaba Sengun / Garuba Chet / Bryant
Houston gets: 2016+'18 unprotected 1st from LA, Russell Westbrook. Lakers get: CP3, KPJ, Nwaba, Tate Phoenix gets: Wood, Gordon, #17 Draft Jabari Smith at 3rd. Sign Mo Bamba at 3/30 Sign Rubio to a 1/yr contract Rubio / Nix Green / Mathews KMJ / JayGup Jabari / Usman Sengun / Bamba ______________ See how the young talent develops as we still land a top8 pick next year, with enough cap space to sign 2 max free agents next free agency. Stock piled additional great assets for any potential blockbuster trade that may come available.
I'm going with the Portland deal Sengun / Eric Gordon / Tate x Bledsoe / pk #7 / 2023 Bucks 1st ------------------------------------------------------- #3 pick Jaden Ivey #7 pick Keegan Murray #17 pick either: Tari Eason , Mark Williams or EJ Liddell --------------------------------------------- Go after Chris Boucher in free agency after releasing Bledsoe --------------------------------------------- Roster (22/23) Ivey......................Josh Christopher Green....................Mathews Porter....................Keegan Murray / Kenyon Tari Eason or EJ Liddell......Chris Boucher / Kenyon C Wood...................Garuba / Bruno Fernando or Mark Williams ------------------------------------------ End up approximately #8 pick in 23/24 draft with Rockets own (OKC then gets our 1st Rd Pick 24/25) I like: in no particular order Kel'el Ware (Center) Dereck Lively (Center) Dillion Mitchell (SF) Cameron Whitmore (SF) Roster (23/24) Ivey....................Josh Christopher Green...................Mathews Keegan Murray......Kenyon / Dillion Mitchell or Cameron Whitmore Tari Eason or EJ Liddell.....Chris Boucher Garuba...............Mark Williams or Kel'el Ware or Dereck Lively -------------------------- Cameron Whitmore ( 6'7" Marcus Smart) Dillion Mitchell (6'7") Kel'el Ware (can shoot 3's) Dereck Lively (can shoot 3's)
I'm moving Wood/Tate/17 and next year's Nets 1st for either Murray or Daniels. I would even trade Sengun straight up for Murray. Draft Banchero/Murray, then draft either Isivic or Jocic at 17. Sign McGhee in fa.
Trade Wood, Tate, And Matthews pick for 7, Bledsoe and their 2nd rd pick. 3. Banchero 7. Dyson Daniels 17.Ousmane Dieng 37. Zvonimir Ivisic Sengun/Garuba/Bruno/Ivisic Banchero/KJ/Dieng Gordon/Dyson/Nwaba Green/JC/Queen Kpj/Nix/Bledsoe At the deadline if Gordon is traded, KJ moves into starting lineup.
I mentioned OG in another thread. I’d give up a lot to get him. A lot. He’s be a perfect fit into the KPJ/Green/Sengun/Banchero core.
Acquiring OG or Jalen Johnson + rim protecting big need to be offseason priorities. Need 2 for 1 trades or sending to teams with TPE to absorb salary. Just not enough minutes for developing players currently on roster. And this before adding 2 or more players in upcoming draft. Need to move EGo, Tate, Nwaba or Wood depending on who Rockets pick at #3 and #17.
