Choose your own adventure: Which star should the Rockets acquire, or none of them?

There is no run-it-back option. You already have Cam and Reed (the #3 pick!) rotting on the bench for a whole season. Now you'll have Bari & Tari fighting for backup minutes at the same position in a contract year. And of course you still have Jalen Green, who is 2 years away from free agency and will still need all of his shots. To this you add the #10 pick who will play... never?

It's a mistake to assume that progress will be linear and infinite. It's also a mistake to assume that these are just a bunch of kids who will accept whatever roles they're given in exchange for orange slices, a pizza party, and tiny plastic trophies. The NBA is a business and these are businessmen who need to be part of a long-term plan as opposed to Uber drivers that Ime can call on whenever. A consolidation move and a direction are needed.

 

Aquire Nic Claxton and Dyson Daniels and give up Jalen Green, Jock Landale, Jae'Sean Tate, #10 pick.

PG - FVV / Sheppard
SG - Daniels / Brooks / Whitmore
SF - Thompson / Eason
PF - Sengun / Smith Jr
..C - Claxton / Adams

Top defense in the league with a lob threat and most importantly, no more Jalen.

 

because people are hypocrites - they say oh give us Booker cause they feel JG will be involved but they say Giannis too old cause they feel Alpi will be involved

So they willing to pass on a Top 3 player, yearly MVP candidate that just put up 30/**/* in the playoffs cause he’s 30 but go after a older version of our player who shot worse from 3 than him last year and didn’t make playoffs with KD and Beal

 

Maybe cuz they lost by 45 in playoffs? Got swept and their star is crazy? I don't see Memphis running it back. They need to rebuild around Ja maybe they want Jalen. Why is Ja an option in this post? Probably easier to get the other guys than him.

 

Very good post and absolutely correct. Running it back and drafting a rookie that is probably 2 years away from seeing the court is insane. This team has a core of Amen, Sengun (who also could be traded for a great package), and Jabari. It needs to be re-balanced. You cannot when a championship or even compete for one with a horrible offense.

 

I agree with those against running it back.

We’re not good enough as constructed to win it all. So if you stand pat then you’re saying you’re okay not making a big move to be a true contender…

You have to at least TRY and swing a trade for Giannis, KD, Booker, or Ja. We have enough assets to land one of these and still have picks left over to keep building after one of the superstars we were to get, slows down.

I think the front office knows this, but it takes two to tango.

I love Sengun and he’s easy to root for, unfortunately a lot of our fan base has him as the next Joker or top 15 player. I just don’t see that happening. If you can get a superstar for him then you do that 10 times out of 10.

 

Devin booker is already old - he might even be aging worse than Durant

 

Not sure how you came up with the above. Durant has aged amazingly. Producing at a star level at the age of 37. The only player who has aged BETTER than KD is LeBron. However, maybe you meant he is too old then yeah, I would agree. How can you tell Booker is aging poorly? He did have a down-year. Does not mean he is aging poorly.

 

Durant is still playing at a high level. His age is obviously a factor, but he is still a difference maker. Acquiring Durant is just a risk/reward exercise. I don’t think there is any doubt that having Durant would improve our team as long as he stays healthy. The risk is twofold, health and cost. I, for one, think a two year gamble on Durant is worth 1 of the Phoenix picks, FVV, and Cam or Tari. Whether Phoenix can get a better package or Stone thinks that is too high of a price is certainly up in the air.

 

You're really underselling the incompetence and erraticness of the offense we saw for 7 games. No player led the Rockets to where they ended up, a committee and a system did. That's exactly why you do a trade for a cold blooded scorer.

 

What is the scenario that Jabari AND Tari are coming off the bench? Jabari is our starting PF, period. He provides everything we need from the position and would provide more if Ime wasn’t such a poor offensive coach. If you get Durant, you must be suggesting that Amen has to be your PF because FVV is still starting. Any coach that is starting FVV over Amen or Jabari needs to be fired. It is the absolute definition of idiocy.

 

Probably an unpopular opinion knowing how this board works but Mitchell has to be out there

 

Assuming we run it back the best we can do is Amen,Jalen, Dillon, Jabari, Sengun. Unfortunately, Ime will never bench FVV for anything other than a directive from the owner (he would laugh at Stone) or an injury. I guess we could FVV, Jalen, Amen, Jabari, Sengun. It is just insane, that anybody in basketball wants to run it back with such a putrid offense.

 

A trade to consolidate the young talent could be on the horizon

 

@Hemingway

I am trying to understand why people want to trade for KD. What are you hoping to accomplish - I do not think KD is nearly enough to be considered a contender, and since time is of the essence, are we Bonafide contenders within the next few years? I am not so sure. If you say, "KD bridges the gap," what exactly does this help with?

I have never liked what I consider desperate moves, such as going all in or trading for an aging star. I would much rather get a piece that can grow with the team. The only looming issue that would force a trade early are the contract extensions for Bari and Tari. Neither will get close to the rookie max, so I tend to think this issue is a tad overstated. @aelliott Going to tag you in all issues related with the cap. Perdon Amigo.

As far as the value of KD, we just saw the Suns pick net us the #10 pick. I only see the future Suns picks climbing towards the top of the draft. Is a future top 5 pick worth two years of KD? I do not think so. People can be too quick to throw in future picks; maybe this is because they do not have a defined value yet like this year's pick. Save these picks for a young(er) star. Unless the cap is really an issue, we have time; let's be patient for the right opportunity to hit the trade market.

Salud.

 

Usage % Rank Playoffs (rotation players only)
1. Sengun
2. Amen
3. Green
4. Brooks
5. Eason
6. FVV

Usage % Rank after 1/3/25 when Amen became a starter (rotation players only)
1. Green
2. Sengun
3. Eason
4. Brooks
5. Amen
6. JSJ
7. FVV

If the goal is to get Amen and Sengun 1, 2 in usage, FVV and Amen as the backcourt seems the logical choice, as FVV is a low usage player and Green is a high usage player.