Free agency or trade. The reality is that Brooklyn pick is going to get the Sengun treatment from Silas, 12 minutes a game at most. So a rim protector mid 20s has a chance of being out there for more minutes.
Id think about buying a 2nd round pick and looking at Koloko from Arizona. He stacks up similarly to Williams and Kessler in my eyes and may be more obtainable. Fertitta shelling out cash to do that is probably the biggest hurdle, but I may be more inclined to look at a wing to take over for Tate with that Brooklyn pick. There might be some decent rim protection type guys that go undrafted too.
What do you mean by "rolling over" the Nets pick? The Nets CANNOT trade their 2023 pick outright, since that would violate the Stepien Rule. They already owe their unprotected 2024 pick to us. If you mean that the Rockets should trade the 17th pick to another team in exchange for that other (non-Nets) team's 2023 pick, I'm not so sure. I doubt another team will give up a lightly-protected future pick. Odds are you won't do much better than the 17th pick in any such swap. Unless there's a VERY high upside future pick on the table (again, unlikely IMO), I'd just use the 17th pick this year.
only if I think I get a higher tier player. if you think #11 and #17 are on the same tier then I understand why you wouldn't. think about it from the Knicks point of view as well. would you move down from #11 to #17 for Tate? I wouldn't.
Yes, I mean roll over in a trade for a pick next year with the full intent to move up as far as you can with that, the Bucks pick and the Rockets own pick. If you don't do that you will end up with 8 1st round picks in 3 years. My suggestion is to give the 5 picks will have this season more time (the 17th pick could very easily end up buried on the bench with the team as currently structured) If the Rockets think 8 1st round picks leads to a good 2023-2024 season so be it. I think that is asking a lot of Green/Sengun and 2 second year players drafted this offseason to do well etc.
I don't think Green, Sengun, Garuba, Christopher, 2022 Hou pick, and 2022 Brooklyn pick (or higher pick if trade up occurs) all make it to 2023-2024 season as Rockets. I highly doubt Rockets keep the 2023 Milwaukie pick unless something weird happens to Milwaukie. Regarding trading out of the draft with the #17 pick, I could see Rockets making a trade if they can find someone that will offer a future FRP that the Rockets think will have more trade value or yield a better player than the ones available. I would not count on that. I think adding the 4 FRPs and Nix this past season is much tougher than adding 2 rookies this coming season with those guys already having a season of development. Clutch (I think it was Clutch) on a podcast recently said the Rockets had tried to trade one of the picks used on Garuba and Christopher, but that it isn't easy trading picks back a year. The Rockets would have drafted Christopher with remaining pick if a trade went down. It takes a team going "I want your pick this year" to trade out of a draft and get a decent return. It is much harder to get a decent return by asking other teams, "Do you want this pick?".
Since we're dreaming... Rockets land the #1 pick, Orlando gets #3. Rockets trade #1 to Orlando for them to take Paolo Banchero and include, say, Jae'Sean Tate and get back #3 plus Jalen Suggs in the swap. Rockets take Jabari Smith #3. Rockets trade up at #17 to get Tari Eason, Jeremy Sochan or Dyson Daniels. But I'll settle for just coming away with Jabari and Sochan.
I think a Green/Suggs backcourt could work....if Jalen can put up 25-30 a night in a couple of years to offset the lack of scoring from Suggs and if Suggs turns into an elite perimeter defender or round out to be a 3&D guard a la Derek Fisher. I know, I'm squinting very hard here.
KPJ is already an elite defender and can score with the best of them and we have JGUP. Absolutely no need for taking a long shot on Suggs.
