2024 Trade Deadline Part 2: What’s Next?

You know…I’ve been thinking about Ime saying he’s always made the playoffs. I don’t want to trade one or more of the young guys if it’s a move to only get into the playoffs this year. To me, that’s selfish AF.

This board and a lot of fans have always overrated its young talent/draft picks. Yet, this is the first time I truly feel like they all bring real value to the now and future.

So, it’ll be interesting to see how they approach this next week regarding the deadline.

 

Rockets would be starting a Model/Actress/Entrepreneur with 125k Instagram followers at center.

 

While I think that is fair I must say you do not have to execute a trade, you can dangle players as trade baits just to see how other teams view our players.....

This has been done since I cannot think of when.....

For example the Nets, I am not sure if it is 100% but the Nets are not trading anyone to us soon, you only know that if you ask them.....it is valuable information to have.

They outright reject the Rockets because there is a trust issue and they overvalue their players.

 

I think you can clearly see the type of players the FO and Udoka are targeting : Tough & Smart.

So looking at our holes, we clearly need another 3/4 shooter who can make sound plays. Problem is those type of guys aren't usually given away for free.

 

For sure. I’m just not cashing any important chips in that won’t help this team for years to come.

 

Ime's probably as tired of seeing us chunking bricks as I am from behind the arc.

Not sure a minor deal is going to lift us out of the bottom of the league in 3PT shooting. I'm hoping for a big deal. The only young guy we have who is a really good 3PT shooter is Cam, and he's not even a starter.

 

I think for now Udoka understands business, he also understands that you can be in the Top 5 one time and then in the bottom cellar the next 2 months...

This Playoff thing is tricky, it is just a confidence booster for the players that the Coach believes that they can make the Playoffs, but reality could be that they just miss the Playoffs.

The way they are playing should be encouraging, the process is as valuable as the result itself.

You go from there, they might find a way back to being a Top 8 Defense and sneak into the Top 16 Offense one day.

I do think Brooklyn do not intend to help us because they know with capable shooters, this Rockets team could be Top 6 dangerous.......and they did not intend to just hand us Mikal Bridges or even Finney Smith or Royce O'Neale.

 

Probably still only lifting upper body.

 

I have full confidence in Jabari becoming a very good three point shooter--he already increased his 3P% significantly from last season until now.

But yes, we need somebody else to help space the floor.

 

Who's minutes is this SG/SF going to take?

My own assessment is that the Rockets need a big thick 5 (for this season at least) and they need a backup 1.

The big thick 5 takes minutes from Landale and Green the Elder.

The backup 1 takes minutes from FVV and Holiday.

I don't think that the Rockets want to take minutes from Thompson, Whitmore, or Eason (when he gets back). I think a case can be made that Ime also does not want to take minutes from Tate (though Eason certainly will).

 

Unless it’s PJ Tucker

 

trades are a must, but now is not the time to pull the trigger. If true we went for bridges, that was it. We aren't going to just sell low on jalen green. We have to hope that he turns into all-star caliber player, the player of the last five games. With the ball in his hands, running the break, running pick and roll, he is playing like a franchise player. He is just as fast as westbrook in the open court and he has more bag in his game in the half-court than westbrook ever had.

Its pretty clear that only one of alpi and green will be here long term since we won't pay the tax and they are both in the same rookie class who are mainly offensive players. We can't pay them both max or near max. We don't have to make this decision yet.

 

I would not be that much concerned about the playing style, very likely Udoka changes the next playing style to accomodate Jabari Smith because he has been struggling.....let him shoot midrange, pick and pop all the time.....until he averages 16-17 ppg.

Ever changing.

For now Udoka has not settled on 1 consistent game system.....he just gets every young guy going and let Fred and Dillon and Jeff help them.

 

I agree, but we need another guy taking 3's too. Jabari isn't taking enough, and Fred and Jalen are taking the majority of 3's. I'm not sure why Jabari isn't taking more of those shots. All I know we are 27th in the league from behind the arc, and we need another threat to complement Jabari in taking those shots in our starting core. The guys we are starting right now just throw too many bricks.

 

Just wanna say 2nd rounders have been upgraded

 

Get rid of Tate and Landale

 

Olynyk for Tate, Bullock and a second rounder could make sense--Kelly's contract expires after this year and Adams could take over after that.

I increasingly would like to see us get Coby White or Collin Sexton. I think one of those two would be worthy of giving up the 2024 Brooklyn pick. A combo guard who can lighten Fred's load and get more minutes on nights when streaky-ass Jalen is cold.

 

Landale to WSH for Gafford
Tate + SRP to NY for Grimes