Brian Windhorst: Rockets armed and ready to make deal for another star

I get the attraction, I just think KD is a 2-3 window and we have 5 pretty solid young players that can still be the core once KD moves on. If we are going to expend our draft assets and maybe 1 of our younger core (not Amen or Sengun) I’d rather it be for 1 and maybe 2 young guys that give us a tremendous young core after KD is gone. As good as Giannis is, the amount of assets will be too great to expend and he is still a gamble because of his archetype being almost identical to Amen’s, at least currently. One thing we can be pretty sure of with Giannis is he’s not going to become a good distance shooter or FT shooter. With Amen and Sengun that possibility still exists.

 

Based on the money involved you'd probably have to pick up FVV's option, then send FVV/Sheppard + a smorgasbord of picks. Alternatively, FVV/Cam/Landale and again, a metric ****ton of picks.

 

Yeah if that one happens they can have Sengun, all of his fans, Reed, Cam and whatever picks they want. Maybe Tari too, but we get to keep his Mom.

 

As far as this summer goes, we may have assets but we have two major constraints: matching salary and the tax/first apron threshold.

Once FVV's new contract is announced, our only tradeable matching salaries are Jabari, Reed, Tari, and Cam. That only adds up to ~$30M, and we obviously aren't trading all of them together (and Amen or Sengun aren't getting traded for anyone outside of Giannis).

Then there's the tax and first apron thresholds. Tilman Fertitta isn't paying a giant luxury tax bill for some speculative new super team, and Stone isn't going to ask him to. Just isn't going to happen. Once FVV is signed we'll very probably be close to the tax line. Hence any roster additions or changes will have to be guys on NTMLE-level salaries or lower.

So, Jaylen Brown or Trae Young or Darius Garland or whatever max player you have in mind... isn't going to happen this summer.

The only workable very slim possibilities I see are a) swapping FVV before his new contract is done in a like-for-like Kyrie swap, or b) sending a massive Mikal Bridges-like haul of 3 young players + picks for Derrick White. I would set the odds of either of those as extremely long, for a variety of reasons.

 

Even though I would like the idea of having Giannis it’s just to much risk at this point.

I think it would have had to be either KD or Giannis. Trading for Giannis now would gut our team completely lol and then if KD goes down then we aren’t even a playoff team anymore.

 

It's truly only a matter of time until Phoenix realizes that there team is going nowhere with no draft picks and end up having to offload Booker.

Not sure why they won't rip off the band-aid now.

 

I dont think it make sense to shorten competitve window for championship too much from nba as a business perspective. With our current young core, we can compete (i.e be in playoff) for 10+ year and continue to improve on margins with trades/free agency. With any additional trade we would likely cut that window by half for having short window to win championship. I just dont see how it makes business sense to reduce the window. This is what baffled me about the Luka trade. How was Nico able to convince that trading Luka was a good idea from business perspective? I would be equally puzzled if we do same thing with our young core.

 

I’d give up at least our 2 - 27 picks and our 29 pick for Derrick White. He is perfect for our team. Youngish combo guard that plays good defense, handles and shooting. Amen, White, KD, Jabari, and Sengun competes for the title the next two or three years if KD stays healthy for the playoffs. That being said I’m not sure Boston would do it. It would have to mean they are willing to punt the next two seasons to start a soft re-build with 2 great picks in 27, Tatum back next year and pretty good cap space (no white, no fvv, no holiday, no Porzingis and an expanded cap)

 

I think we have to hope Tari can fill that role.

 

I love Derrick White as a player, but if Derrick White is traded it will be for an ungodly amount of picks / assets. Think 5+ firsts or the equivalent in player asset value. White is under contract for 4 seasons, so any team can be in on him.

Stone is not the type of GM who is ever going to outbid the whole league in an open bidding war -- he is too value oriented for that.

 

You are probably right, but Reed, Tari, Cam and 2 very good picks might get it done. That’s the equivalent of 5 Frp’s

 

Two injured guys

 

What does he cost?

 

Are they?

Say Stone trades Sengun/Cam/ three 1st for Giannis

PG- FVV, Sheppard
SG Amen/Holiday/Nate Williams/ Vet min guy/Tari
C Adams/ Giannis/Bari/Landale
SF Durant/Tari/Bari
PF Giannis/Bari/Tari/Jeff Green

Plus they still have a combination of either their 1st rd picks, or the Suns 1st rd picks depending on which picks are traded.

 

I have zero interest of reaching the value for Brown or White


Hold the door

 

No need to get greedy. Trade for Giannis and call it a day

 

Probably way too much tbh. If we could do it for Cam, Reed and FVV then picks I actually probably would. Amen/Brown/KD/Bari/Sengun sounds like a cheat code line up, the likes of which the league hasn't seen since the KD era Warriors...

 

I like Eason but he's been injury prone.