I wouldn't call Malik Monk a move in the margins, the cost is much more than just a vet min or 2nd round picks. It takes both DFS & Tari to match the salary and you only have 13 players under contract and no money left to fill that spot - It takes DFS & Capela. Tari and a draft pick or DFS and a draft pick doesn't come close to getting you Monk and his almost $19m contract. It takes DFS and Capela , Tari isn't enopugh.
Just not a lot of options. Plus people still discount that we are still developing a young core in Sengun, Jabari, Tari, Amen, and Reed and while we won't keep them all .... there is still a lot of uncertainty to how much growth these players will go through.
Absolutely. Dosunma or Monk would be game changers in my opinion at a decent cost if they can keep Reed. Our biggest issue is the guard rotation and Ime. Amen needs to be seconded by a shooter. Our backcourt would jettison from meh to outstanding with one non-expensive move.
I’ll trade Tari + Tate/Holiday for Grimes. True, Grimes will be free agent by summer, but Tari will be rfa, so in both cases we might lose either one of them. But at least we’ll have another guy that can handle the ball properly in our rotation. Plus don’t forget Tari is always at injury risk - if we keep, do you honestly believe he won’t absent feom a bunch of games in the remaining of regular season! Not to mention how deeply we’ll get fu**** if he’s injured in playoffs. So there you go, one example. Second example - I feel ok with trading dfs to SAC for Schroder, unless we continue seeing that dfs getting better by deadline. Explore and you’ll find a bunch of other options. Unless you really believe that we don’t need another guard in this team.
No, Capela is at $6.7m while Okogie is a veteran's minimum, $2,296,274 for cap purposes. Here's a link to all the contracts 2025-26 Houston Rockets Cap Table
I wanted another guard before FVV was injured .... thing is, I realize that there just isn't a hell of a lot out there that actually moves the needle. Or the fact that many / most moves are financially very difficult to impossible. Both of the trades you propose are in fact impossible ... Grimes earns $8,741,209 Your proposal of Tari and one of Tate or Holiday who are both on vet minimum contracts. Tari $5,675,766 Tate / Holiday $2,296,274 Combined that's $7,972,040 and under normal circumstances, that would get the deal done. Except the Rockets would only have 13 players under contract and they would have 10 days to fill that 14th roster spot and there's no money to do that with. Prior to the trade, the Rockets have $1,255,588 between them and the first apron with 14 contracts accounted for - the minimum number of contracts allowed. Adding Grimes has added another $769,169 to the books, now they have $486,419 between them and the 1A but only 13 contracts on the books. They cannot add a 14th contract to satisfy roster limits. The Prorated minimum is $28,003.34 per game, with 40 games remaining they would need $1,120,137, short by $633,713. DFS for Schroeder doesn't work either DFS $12,7000,000 Schroder $14,104,000 Normally this would get a deal done but with the hard cap, again the trade is failed - The Rockets have $1,255,588 in wiggle room between them and the 1A. The difference in these contracts is $1,404,000 which would put them over the apron trade failed. Let's not forget that Shroder has two more years on his contract which could complicate your cap for the future. You could in this case add one of those minimum players to the deal to make the money work BUT the Kings would have to waive a player currently under contract to accept the trade because a roster spot is required for each player accepted in the trade. The Kings are currently at 15 contracts which is the max during the season (That is expanded in the offseason). Then the Rockets would have 10 days to fill their 15th roster spot, this time they have enough $ to sign a prorated minimum. With Adams injured, it's very unlikely they move Capela. Any guard help is essentially limited to the outgoing salary of DFS or Tari, one not both, and the available players in that price range is limited and, in most cases, the other team is going to expect more than just a couple 2nds in compensation - DFS is dead weight with 2 more years. I'm not sure there's a single player that is actually available in that price range that fixes the Rockets problems. As for Tari, in the offseason if he gets an offer that you don't want to match, you can at least work out a sign and trade getting something in return. That's why I say I won't be mad at Stone for not pulling the trigger on a trade, so many don't work and few make sense. If he can't pull off a miracle, it's probably best to stand pat and look forward to next year.
You do what it takes to get Monk….PERIOD! Adams and Eason gets it done. We have zero offensive firepower after Reed in the bench. Don’t overvalue Eason as he isn’t a good shooter and can’t make free throws. We have enough defensive players so he’s a net negative. Adams is done for the season….throw in at age 33.
I think the Rockets are just going to wait till the buyout market to get a point guard. Some decent PG will ask out in hopes to win a title. We are the ideal team for a player who will give up money for a chance to win. Now if we go on another losing streak these next few games, then who knows that they will do.
There are There are multiple ways to get Monk if Sac will play. DFS, Adams, and the 27 Phoenix pick would do it, but is Monk worth that? I do think with Monk we could elevate Reed or him to the starting lineup and have more of a shot at making noise in the playoffs this year. Of course, Tari and Durant would have to stay healthy. If we are willing to expend picks we have the trade pieces to add a Monk level player, but I think the Rockets trust Ime and will roll with what we have.
Adams salary is available in trades along with DFS and picks. We have the assets to trade, but I expect the Rockets stand pat. It is not as undoable as you believe. The Rockets have stated over and over they want to continue to develop Amen and Reed as PGs, so the move is for a backup combo or SG. Adams and DFS give us close to 27m to play with. Adams, DFS, frp for Monk, Saric works and we have money left over to add a minimum salary to meet roster commitments.
Agree. In fact, it would be stupid. Here's a great comparison of what they bring offensively, defensively, and overall impact. Hell no to trading Reed. https://craftednba.com/players/comparison/malik-monk-vs-reed-sheppard
