Random Houston Rockets Trade Ideas - 2012-13

So why give up an awesome asset in D-Mo if there's a chance Ellis will opt out? Even if Ellis DOESN'T opt out, it would probably make things worse. Ellis is a chucker, would not fit this team well at all. We need to target STARS and stars only.

 

Interesting to see what happens at the trade deadline. I'd still prefer that we keep this core intact and just go for a minor trade for a solid vet that could help us for that playoff run. Or trade for future picks and collect more assets. I really believe that this team we have right now is capable of making the playoffs this year. Don't waste assets and cap flexibility on players like Josh Smith who's only bound to get overpaid in the off-season. Yes, some team will offer Josh Smith a James Harden type of contract and i don't think Daryl Morey will be one of those desperate GM's.

WE MUST KEEP OUR MAX SALARY CAP ROOM going into the off-season.

 

Lol no way we get howard for pretty much nothing.

 

"we really do not give up any players for the future" yeah you're right DMo is a joke, the dude is so bad he WANTS to be in the D-Leagie. He knows he can't make it in the NBA.

 

Well we can't give smith a harden contract because we aren't allowed to give another 5 year contract. Also I don't really feel like there's anyone worth getting this free agency. Smith? Not worth the max (his current contract is what he is worth IMO). Millsap? He's good, but won't make us contenders. Jefferson? Eh.

 

Rockets
Get: Lamarcus Aldridge
Give: Parsons, 2patt, delfino and Aldrich

Hornets
Get: Wes Matthews, Aldrich and Parsons
Give: Gordon

Blazers:
Get: Gordon, Delfino and 2patt
Give: Aldridge and Wes Matthews

Blazers should get a pick or two from someone I think. To be honest I don't think blazers will trade aldridge, especially to a team in the west in the hunt for a lower playoff seed but meh.

 

"Multiple Rockets sources suggest the team isn't weighing any trade offers prior to the deadline, as they prefer to maintain cap space for free agency."

 

Sell (semi)highs : patpat, douglas, delfino
Sell for a bag of chips: Cole
Interchangeable fodder: Smith, Anderson, Beverly
Will not part unless you overpay: parsons, Dmo, Jones, asik, lin
Untadeable: white

 

I think we will make a deal for an expiring contract at the deadline for either a backup PG or Center. My prediction is that we will acquire one of these players that are expiring at the end of this season:


Guards
Nate Robinson (Rose returns and they still have Hinrich)
Sebastian Telfair
Aaron Brooks
Daniel Gibson

Bigs
Jason Maxiell
R. Lewis (Not a big really but he doesn't seem to fit all that much)
Kaman (doubt they trade him to division rival but it makes since.)
Zaza Pachulia (If I had to pick my money would be on this one)

 

I'd love to get Howard but IF Dwight is so set on Brooklyn then let's help send him there.

Patterson + Douglas + Morris + Aldrich for Brook Lopez.

They can find another suitor for Humphries then boom, Dwight can be offered a max in New Jersey during the offseason.

Lin
Harden
Parsons
Lopez
Asik

That sounds pretty good to me personally.

 

Maybe do Delfino instead of Morris and Patterson and that's even less cap stuck in Brooklyn if they are all about expiring contracts.

 

0% chance that Daryl Morey is interested in the grossly overpaid Brook Lopez.

 

Also, Brooklyn is no longer able to acquire Dwight Howard. No team is going to trade Howard for any of the Nets' grossly overpaid players, and Brooklyn does not have the cap space to sign Howard. There is now a 0% chance that Howard winds up in Brooklyn. That ship has sailed.

Look for Brooklyn to take what it can get for Kris Humphries, who gets paid $12 mil next season for being Kris Humphries, which means that Brooklyn isn't going to get a lot. Maybe a player who gets paid the same amount of money and who sucks just as much (e.g., Ben Gordon), or maybe a player who is owed even more money than Humphries (e.g., Carlos Boozer, Andrea Bargnani).

 

Apparently he is interested in bringing E Gordon 14 million dollar contract to town

 

14 Million a year for 19 - 7 doesn't seem terrible. He has room to improve (only 24) his rebounding and at PF rather than center he will have a size and strength advantage. He's done a spectacular job of playing defense this year and is one of those guys who doesn't complain. As often as Brooklyn has shopped him he has remained humble.

He is the perfect complement to our humble young team. If Brooklyn just wanted expiring contracts it also would leave us with a lot of young talent to either a) build with or b) solidify our bench with.

Jones, Patterson, Morris, DMo and White would all stay most likely because it would be a salary dump. Morris would slide to back up 3 with Delfino gone so we would have four young power forwards to either develop or package for more depth at other positions.

 

0% chance that Morey has any interest whatsoever in obtaining Eric Gordon. This is misinformation. Houston likely got involved in Gordon trade talks but only to be a third wheel. Morey doesn't want Gordon.

As I've pointed out before, the quality of NBA sports journalism, at least in the mainstream sports media, is incredibly poor, since the folks doing the reporting are bad at math, not remotely interested in reading through the CBA and understanding how the CBA works, not remotely interested in paying any attention whatsoever to the financial side of the NBA, etc. As a result, the mainstream NBA sports media peddles a bunch of misinformation without realizing it. Chris Broussard is one of the most high profile examples of this phenomenon but there are many, many others. And, as a result, there is nobody out there who is explaining how this stuff works to the fans, which means that the fans wind up thinking that, for example, a well-managed team such as the Houston Rockets is thinking about trading for an overpaid, unprofessional Eric Gordon who is seemingly not nearly the player he was prior to his injury last season.

 

Never know because Morey did offer Gordon a max contract this past off season. And a backcourt of Harden and Gordon with Lin coming off the bench doesn't sound bad.

 

Here is a list of players who I expect to get traded between now and the 2/21 trade deadline (2/21 = this Thursday):

1 Josh Smith
2 Carlos Boozer
3 Shawn Marion
4 O.J. Mayo
5 Eric Bledsoe
6 Lamar Odom
7 Eric Gordon
8 Marcin Gortat
9 Tyreke Evans
10 Stephen Jackson
11 Andrea Bargnani
12 Paul Millsap
13 Al Jefferson

My anticipated trades:

1 Boozer and filler for Bargnani and filler (if Charlotte is stupid enough to trade Ben Gordon's contract somehow for Bargnani's contract, Chicago is obviously going to be all over that, which turns the deal into a three-way; Boozer to Toronto, Bargnani to Charlotte, and Gordon to Chicago)

2 Bledsoe and Odom for Millsap and Tinsley

3 Gordon for Marion, Mayo, and filler (maybe Marion gets traded to a third team for mostly expiring contracts)

4 Jefferson for Jackson and a decent young player or two (e.g., Tiago Splitter, Patrick Mills) and/or a draft pick

5 Gortat for a so-so cheap/young guy on a rookie contract (Marcus Morris? Greg Smith? Both?) and expiring contracts

6 Josh Smith for a first or second year player (e.g., John Henson), plus maybe a draft pick, along with expiring contracts

7 Evans for basically whatever the Kings can get for the guy, since I can't imagine that they plan on re-signing him this summer

I can actually see Houston trading for Shawn Marion AND Marcin Gortat here. I'm not saying that it WILL happen, but it can happen, and it would make sense for Houston if Morey is doing what I think he's doing (i.e., trying to win as many games this season and next season as possible, hold on to the core guys, develop team chemistry, strengthen the brand, develop your younger guys, and ultimately attempt to sign Lebron James in July 2014). Marcus Morris and an expiring contract (e.g., Toney Douglas) for Gortat and filler would work. And Patrick Patterson, Carlos Delfino, and Cole Aldrich for Marion would work. That's really not giving up much at all for two really good veteran players in Marion and Gortat, and the contracts of Marion and Gortat both expire at the end of the 2013-14 season (next season), so you should have the cap space to sign Lebron, who will be a free agent that summer.

Possible Houston Rockets roster after the dust has settled on 2/21:

Starting lineup

PG Jeremy Lin
SG James Harden
SF Chandler Parsons
PF Shawn Marion
C Omer Asik

Key reserves: Marcin Gortat, Patrick Beverly, Donatas Motiejunas, James Anderson

End of the bench: Three new guys (filler acquired in the two deals and/or scrap heap veteran free agents signed to minimum salary deals) (none of these three guys will be on the roster beyond this season)

Developmental League: Greg Smith, Royce White, Terrence Jones

The 2013-14 roster would look pretty much exactly the same. The five starters, the four key reserves, and the three d-league guys would all be back, and you wouldn't do anything fancy in free agency to replace the three end of the bench guys. Morey would be looking to sign low risk-medium reward second tier prospects (e.g., Greg Smith, Patrick Beverly) and/or minimum salary veterans to fill out the roster, in other words. I think this team should be able to finish at about #6 in the West this season and may be able to move up to the #4 or #5 spot in the West next season.

 

I would LOVE to see this happen! I'll take Gortat over throwin at max contract at JSmith or overpaying one of the Utah bigs. This would be a phenomenal deal - unless there's an expectation we can get LMA or KLove - which I don't see happenin....

 

You make a strong case for Lopez here.