Naz Reid is great because of his contract value...but if you are paying Reid $25-30mil, I don't necessarily you are getting significant value there over just resigning Adams for something less than $15mil. Don't get me wrong, I like Naz quite a bit but I think he is going out and get that payday that he deserves and I don't necessarily think that we would be $10-15mil better signing him for what he is probably going to get. I would almost prefer to just play Bari as your situational stretch 5 unless the long term offense is going to be a spread offense...and as we have discussed ad nauseam - we don't really have the type of shooters in Amen and Sengun to play 5 out effectively.
obviously we wait to see if we win the lottery but if not, we’re there would you guys swap this pick for Phoenix Suns 2026 pick have another shot at the lottery and apparently a Deeper better draft?
Recent trades for late lottery picks: 2024: Rob Dillingham (#8) for a 2030 unprotected swap and 2031 unprotected first rounder from Minnesota. 2023: Cason Wallace (#10) for Dereck Lively II (#12) and $16M in dead salary (Bertans) 2022: Ousmane Dieng (#11) for 2023 Protected Detroit Pick (will convey this year, #17), 2023 Protected Washington pick (will not convey if 1-8 in 2026), 2023 Denver pick (#27 overall) 2021: Ziaire Williams (#10) plus Steven Adams for Trey Murphy (#17) and Jonas Valanciunas 2019: De'Andre Hunter (#4) for Jaxson Hayes (#8), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (#17), Didi Louzada (#35), and a protected first that became 2 2nd rounders. Jarrett Culver (#6) for Cameron Johnson (#11) and Dario Saric. Seems to me like all of them are reasonable options for Stone, which is what will make this interesting. I think that there is a pretty clear top 4, so trading up into that area seems unlikely. Trading down/out to get a solid cost controlled PG and being able to move on from FVV makes sense. Getting out of the draft entirely, just getting tradeable picks is not my preferred route, but is something that the analytics generally recommend, and fits with what they recently did with swapping the Nets picks for PHX/DAL, a move I HATED at the time, but is looking like an incredible bet right now. If I had to guess, the Dillingham trade from last year seems like the most realistic move the Rockets can make; it creates a high value asset that could be moved in a consolidation trade for a superstar, without adding a young player that is realistically two years away from getting rotation minutes.
I would take Kon or Clayton. We need some backcourt help. Kons comp is Austin Reaves and Clayton is a mix of curry and Quentin Grimes.
All depends on the price.... which I think would be ultimately too high. We do need to consolidate some players so moving up from 9 to 3-6 might be possible.
I mean by percentage cap, that would basically be the Dillon Brooks contract from 2 years ago. Or what Eric Gordon got a few years earlier. And no one is complaining about Brook's contract. Nor did the Rockets have any issues moving on from Gordon as he was always worth at least a late 1st in any trade scenarios. If you don't like him that's fine. But if the Rockets just re-sign Adams for $15mil, they're not getting much with the other $15mil that's not spent. It's basically Buddy Hield/Gabe Vincent money.
If Rockets could somehow agree with Reid on a contract, wow! He would fit this team to a T. I would get excited. At age 25, he should be entering the peak of his career.
That money could not be spent on a best attempt at keeping the players the drafted and paying them contracts to keep them together? With the precedent that Sengun and Green set with their contracts I think mostly everyone if not everyone together and on a 2nd contract even as potential 3rd contracts start for Sengun and Green. If that is something Stone wants to do you could keep everyone on the team for the next 5-6 seasons.
The 10th pick, 2027 Suns draft pick, Jalen Green, Cam Withmore, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason for Bradley Beal. If the Suns don't bite throw in Sengun
Beal can help the team right away. He's versatile; he can play the 2 or 3 or ride the bunch while Tate develops.
Good post. I also love that you're man enough to admit when you were wrong. I loved the trade at the time, and I could see the writing on the wall that this Phoenix team wasn't going to meet expectations - but I did not think the first year was when it would truly begin to payoff. As for what they'll do, I would assume it depends on who is available when they pick and how much they like them. I know we have too many young players, but I think we could see some of them moved in a consolidation move this summer. And so maybe if somebody like Khaman Maluach is available and they like him, they keep him. But I'm excited to see how it pans out regardless. I'd love to see them draft a guy I like. Outside of the top 5, the guys I like the most are Khaman Maluach and Collin Murray Boyles. Boyles doesn't really play a position of need for us, but again, they may be sending some guys packing this offseason. I'd also be happy to see them turn one draft pick into multiple picks. Honestly, it's all just gravy. Such a wonderful time to be a Rockets fan.
The funny route would be if you jumped to 3 or 4 and you traded the pick for say 2 picks and a swap. You start to then get into the territory of having 6 first round picks and 4 swaps for the Harden trade. A trade that would paying off still for several years to come. Kevin Martin Jermey Lamb and 2 picks is what started it all as well lol
For your amusement: https://arizonasports.com/nba/phoenix-suns/suns-nba-draft-picks/3569834/ I knew the Beal trade was bad, but I don’t think I realized how bad. Bleak does not begin to describe the Suns future. But one has to acknowledge that if the Suns deal Durant for a couple really good players and make some moves on the margins, they could stay on the late lotto treadmill and avoid being one of those 4 worst teams with the really good lotto odds. I could see the front office rationalizing not going full rebuild because they’ll never have control over their picks for consecutive years. If they can just get back to respectability next year, that’s one year less on Beals contract and they may be able to move him and get some flexibility to sign some guys. As we get to 2028 the Suns could be a semi-competitive/late lotto team. It’s hard to be 1000% confident that the Suns 2029 pick will be amazing. They are likely to have a harder time turning the ship in the next couple of years. The 2027 pick is probably more valuable than the 2029 pick IMO.
I hear this argument a lot on really anyone the Rockets try to get, and I don't get it. I mean, trades exist. If Jabari turns into KD and Amen turns into Pippen and Reed turns into Curry, the Rockets can still trade Naz Reid later on. At worst they do a pure salary dump because he's still in his 20s and will have positive value on the market short of a career-ending injury. Just because the Rockets may spend an undetermined amount of money in an undetermined time in the future for undetermined number of players, doesn't mean they should just give up trying their best to compete today.
Depends on whether their ownership/front office actually make good moves. So far they haven't shown much wisdom. If they continue to deal for overpaid, overvalued players 2029 could be real good too.
That is one route you can take in “trying your best to compete today” For one that statement could many many things along a spectrum. Meaning GO ALL IN THIS YEAR, to a slight upgrade to full bench depth and trading a 2nd round pick to do it. But there are trade offs for everything you do. I made a post on here in regards to the chances are of the rockets competing this year a few months ago related to going all in or competing now. For one the rockets are competing now and being the 2nd seed is amazing. My post showed in the last 20+ years the only young player (not all least around 26 years old) that was a top 3 player on a championship team was Kyrie Irving being the lone exception. So going all in would mean I suppose trading for that player now but the 2nd and 3rd best players would still be exceptions. Naz R for example is not that. He is just an upgrade at a position of need. And there is a valid argument for that. But as I said there are trade offs. Salary cap implications later on. Taking playing time away from developing youth players n the team currently (which can cause issues with player morale) I personally have usually skewed on the side of keeping the drafted players together let them grow, become more cohesive etc. With if you are doing something trade wise do it for a top top talent that is preferably in their mid 20’s. Which is inherently very difficult to do. But becomes more feasible the better the Rockets do and with patience in doing that it gets closer to the players on the team that would not go out in that trade entering their primes.
I'm not sure who's the young player you believe Naz Reid is taking minutes from. The Rockets have one young center and one young PF. Someone who can backup both positions does not overlap with either of their minutes. I'm also not sure who you believe the Rockets can't re-sign because they pay a Naz Reid $30mil. Cause if you look at the future salary cap and likely extension amounts, the Rockets are fine unless Reed Sheppard demands a max. At which point even if Naz Reid signed a 4yr deal, he's an expiring by then and can be dealt away for capspace. On the flip side, don't you think guys like Amen or Jalen would benefit from another good shooter on the court with them for development?
