Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: -0.6 ppg, +3.7 rpg, and -0.6 apg. Incoming Players Bruce Brown, Jr. 28 year old, 6-4, 202 lb SG from Miami (FL) No games yet played in 2024-2025 Jakob Poeltl 29 year old, 7-0, 260 lb C from Utah 15.0 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.0 apg in 32.8 minutes in 2024-2025 Outgoing Players Dillon Brooks 28 year old, 6-6, 225 lb F from Oregon 11.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.6 apg in 32.3 minutes in 2024-2025 Steven Adams 31 year old, 6-11, 265 lb C from Pittsburgh 3.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg in 12.5 minutes in 2024-2025 Jae'sean Tate 29 year old, 6-4, 230 lb F from Ohio State 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.0 apg in 3.7 minutes in 2024-2025
Rockets are not dumb enough to give Whitmore away after they stole him last year at the 20th pick. That would be purely idiotic! He is here through his first contract. They will trade him at the end of it if things aren't working out.
Jabari Smith, Jr. 21 year old, 6-10, 220 lb F from Auburn 11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.9 apg in 28.7 minutes in 2024-2025 Jock Landale 29 year old, 6-11, 255 lb C from Saint Mary's 5.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.5 a
I don't understand the desire for Jerami Grant. He's not playing over Tari or Amen. Basically, he would get to play rock, paper, scissors with Tate. I don't see Portland kicking in the FRPs for the Rockets to take his contract.
Correct. People are just panicking and grasping at straws. The saviors of this team are suffering at the alter of mediocre vets like brooks and fvv
Going to better players is not going full Silas, it is going to one of the best defenses in the league and playing fast and furious which is what this team is built for. We are just fooling ourselves if we think FVV and Brooks are helping this team to develop.
Would you do this? Turner shoots 40 % from three and blocks close to 2 shots a game. Basically, what we were hoping Bari was going to do. Turner isn't the greatest rebounder, but we have Alpi, Adams, Tari, Amen for that.
I wish turner wasn't such a poor rim protector. He was really good a few years ago but has completely lost it.
Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: -7.8 ppg, -3.4 rpg, and -0.3 apg. Incoming Players Ausar Thompson 21 year old, 6-6, 205 lb G from Overtime Elite (Georgia) No games yet played in 2024-2025 Marcus Sasser 24 year old, 6-2, 195 lb G from Houston 1.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.8 apg in 6.3 minutes in 2024-2025 Outgoing Players Jae'sean Tate 29 year old, 6-4, 230 lb F from Ohio State 2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.7 apg in 4.5 minutes in 2024-2025 Cam Whitmore 20 year old, 6-7, 230 lb F from Villanova 6.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.4 apg in 10.5 minutes in 2024-2025
I don't think the Pistons would do this - but as fun as it would be to have both of the Thompson twins on our roster, I'm not sure I would do it either. I don't think we need another absolutely abysmal shooter.
Unfortunately, he would be a 1 year rental. He will want a lot more to re-sign and I’m not sure the Rockets will give up their flexibility for a decent upgrade, but not a star.
Here's the thing, FVV was clearly the best player on the team last season. He'll likely get out of his slump and be in the top 1-3 players this season going forward. Brooks, he's in the Top 6 players on the team (unless Landale and/or Adams start to playing better, but those guys don't affect Brooks much) and is back to playing amazing defense this season. Brooks and FVV are easily in the Top 6 such that even if there are better players, they are not the ones in the better players' way. It is a coaching decision to play Jabari minutes that could and should go to Amen and Tari. Playing young players when there is a significantly better vet on the roster is the definition of Full Silas. On developing players, there needs to be a balance, IMO. If there isn't balance and developing is the only concern, that is Full Silas. If you want Jabari, Cam, and Reed to play minutes over FVV and Brooks, that is Full Silas as FVV and Brooks are the only vets getting much time at the moment except whoever the backup center is for a game. Jabari is in his 3rd year. He's had plenty of minutes to develop and Brooks is not some high bar.
I don’t want Cam and Reed playing over Dillon and FVV. I want Tari and Amen playing over FVV and Dillon. I think Jabari sitting for Dillion hurts your perimeter defense and rebounding. Everybody harping on Dillon’s “great” defense are not watching that closely. He did great against Wemby’s spindly legs. He does good against slower perimeter players, although Cade blew by him several times. He cannot guard any perimeter player with a little speed. He is also a foul machine and terrible rebounder and passer. Dillon’s minutes need to be re-distributed to Tari and Amen and Jabari needs to continue to get starter minutes to continue his development. FVV needs to be playing 25-30 mins a game even when he gets out of his slump. We aren’t competing for anything worthwhile this year. Next year and beyond are much more important and every game you waste developing Amen and Tari will put us in the same situation we were in with Jalen about extensions.
I would not want Turner on the court with Sengun. The Rockets defense is predicated on keeping Sengun near the paint, and having Brooks, Jabari, Tari, and/or Amen pre-switch onto whoever the other team wants to use as a roll man. Having Turner and Sengun out there would limit the Rockets to having one of Brooks, Jabari, Tari, and/or Amen on the court and having two guys the Rockets would want to pre-switch for. Brooks has flaws, Jabari has good traits. I like Brooks's ability to guard players, especially bigger skilled players, better than Jabari. On guarding smaller players, Jabari is good for a PF, but Brooks is better even if some of the better smaller players can light him up. Looking holistically, in 2023-2024 season, the player the Rockets were best with off the court was Jabari (per Net Rating). This season, the player the Rockets are the best with off the court is Jabari. This doesn't mean Jabari is the worst player. It just means he's likely the worst of the rotation players if one considers scoring more than the oppenent on a per possession basis more important than whatever values you hold dear. You can nitpick Brooks all you want, but it is an unmutable fact that the Rockets score more than their opponents by a signficantly larger margin with Brooks than Jabari. I don't know how you can watch a game and come away with Jabari being a better player than Brooks even with Brooks and all his flaws. If you want to cut Brooks's minutes instead of Jabari, that is going totally towards development (i.e., full Silas). If you say things like "We aren’t competing for anything worthwhile this year.", to me that basically means that you are for development 100% (i.e., full Silas). I don't think the Rockets can win an NBA championship as is, but I think the Rockets can compete with most of the playoff teams (OKC at full strength and Boston are too much). I think the Rockets need to make the playoffs so that players like Sengun, Tari, and Amen can see what it is like. Also, I value the development of Amen, Sengun, and Tari more important than Jabari, and I believe in positive reinforcement (i.e., when Sengun is in the game, I'd like the Rockets to win those minutes). On Amen and Tari, I am not for wasting their minutes at all. I don't think moving Jabari down to 20 mpg is the end of the world regarding his development.
The Houston Rockets have been mentioned as one of just two realistic destinations for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade. On Monday, The Ringer's Bill Simmons aired a new episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast in which Simmons outlined why the Brooklyn Nets are the most attractive suitor for Giannis. Simmons also asserted that Houston is in play for Giannis because, like Brooklyn, the Rockets have significant first-round draft capital and some young players to include in a blockbuster deal. “To me, it’s either Brooklyn or Houston. … Houston’s the other team … they have picks and young players. … If I’m Giannis, would I rather go to Brooklyn or Houston? I don’t know.” “Houston has Brooklyn’s 2026 first (rounder), they can swap Brooklyn’s (pick) in 2027, they have Phoenix’s first (rounder) in 2027, they have all their own picks … they have enough to put a Giannis thing together.” “The problem is, they gave extensions to (Jalen) Green and (Alperen) Şengün, so I don’t think those guys can be in the trade, but they could patch stuff together.” Giannis would undoubtedly turn the Rockets into a playoff team, as they are currently 6-4 with a ton of rising stars on the roster.
