I don't think so. Picks are more valuable, before they are made, before the player steps foot on an NBA count or even practice facility simply because up until that point, they have unlimited potential. Amen might get you in the top 8 but nowhere near the top 3-4. The guy can't shoot and regressed in that necessary skill in his 3rd season - he isn't unlimited potential or anywhere close to it.
Amen is fixing to get a near max contract. The Rockets wouldn’t trade him straight up for any of the guys in this draft. They are all going to be real good. Not a one of them has superstar potential. If he was 25, then you might be right. He has started for 1 1/2 season. Only Clutchfan pessimists are undervaluing Amen. Under your philosophy of “unlimited potential” Kobe or Cade should have been traded in two years for the promise of some college player since they have unlimited potential. If these guys had Wemby or Flagg potential then, yes, Amen would not be enough.
I think we should go BPA. consensus is Brown Jr, Wagler, and Acuff are in that conversation. I haven’t done the research I usually do because we don’t have a pick. I have watched a lot of Acuff Jr. I am convinced he’s going to be a high-level scorer and on-ball creator and facilitator. His handles and shooting are outstanding and will translate to the NBA. His 6’7” wingspan makes me feel better about the height. I think his defense will improve if he’s not asked to do everything like he was at Arkansas. But those other two prospects have more nba size and I’d need to do a deeper dive on them to know what I really think. If it’s Acuff or Kingston I’m taking Acuff all day.
The same problem I have with Chet are the same problems I have with Jabari. What is the use of being tall if you cant put a smaller man on their hip? I feel like Jabari is a 3rd at best and not even a close 3rd option.
We really need to figure out how to turn Clint and DFS salaries into a useful player. Combined they make about $21M which should net you decent rotation player. Hopefully there is a team out there with buyers remorse on a long term contract that is interested in moving off of that long term money just for salary relief. Both guys have partial guarantees for the following year. I would be willing to add a pick or two depending on the quality of the target. Think guys like Trey Murphy and Derek White at the upper end and Deandre Hunter at the low end of pick compensation. We need to play more Jabari at the 5. With Fred back, Amen should slide into the front court and without Adams there should be ample minutes at backup center available. His shooting and mobility are average for a wing but a legitimate weapon as a big. As a bog plus it opens up driving lanes for Amen as well. Finally, as disappointed as I was in Tari last season I think we should keep him as long as he doesn't get a crazy offer. We badly need tradeable contracts in that mid-level ish range to facilitate deadline deals.
Why would we make this trade? The Raptors would take this trade immediately before we have time to change our mind.
Miami in: Giannis Milwaukee in: Alpi KD 2027 Phx pick via hou 2027 Rockets pick 2029 Miami pick 2031 Miami pick Hou in: Milwaukee 26 pick Miami 26 pick Wiggins Ware Mitchell Portis this resets the re-build with 3 incoming high potential young players (draft picks and Ware), Amen, Reed, Jabari and replaces Tari or DFS with Wiggins and FVV with Mitchell Still have trade assets with FVV, Adams, 27 Nets pick, 29 Phx and 29 Dallas picks Bucks get 4 draft picks KD (flip at deadline), and Sengun Miami gets Giannis for 3 draft picks and Ware (primarily)
Y'all think Mavs would trade the #9? KD for #9 + Klay(expiring), Caleb Martin(expiring), and Middleton(39% 3pt) S&T(10-12 mil) works on trade machine Try to draft Burries or maybe Philon
Makes sense. They probably want a future guard for Flagg. Not like Ime would let Stone trade KD Wonder if a Tari S&T for Bulls #15 is possible
Well, Chet’s not supposed to be the #2 guy. Same with Jabari. But #3? Sure. A third option is supposed to be complementary to the primary scoring options. Bari averaged 14 ppg on .37 from 3 in the playoffs. That’s pretty decent considering Bari is 23. I think we all need to step back and realize just how young some of these guys are. Sheppard is 21. Amen, Sengun, and Bari are 23. Chet is 24. I don’t know why fans tend to make sweeping generalizations about young players, but both Bari and Chet made substantial progress this year, and I expect that to continue.
I do not really see this as resetting the rebuild. It downgrades the upside of two future picks into nearer-term, probably less valuable 2026 picks. Even if 2026 is a stronger draft, those picks are likely to land in a range that is not especially likely to produce a great player. Functionally, Houston is turning Alpi and KD into Ware, Wiggins, Mitchell, and Portis. The biggest issue is that Alpi is already the young rebuild piece. Trading him is not the same thing as moving off an older star to get younger. He is 23, already an All-Star-level offensive hub, and gives the team a half-court identity. Ware is interesting, but he is nowhere near that level of certainty. He is more of a defensive and vertical-spacing upside bet. This also locks the Rockets much harder into Amen as the future star creator. If Amen becomes that guy, maybe you can talk yourself into it. But if Amen is more of an elite connector and defender than a primary offensive engine, this trade backfires fast. And if Ware does not develop real defensive instincts beyond blocks and rebounds, it also backfires. The offensive fit worries me most. The Rockets were already playmaking-deficient in the playoffs with Reed, Amen, and Sengun on the floor. This trade removes Sengun’s passing hub role and KD’s bailout scoring, then replaces that with a big who is mostly a finisher/stretch 5 and a collection of role players. That is a major downgrade in half-court creation. So I do not think this resets the rebuild. It makes the team deeper and more athletic, but it lowers the top-end offensive upside unless Amen becomes a star. For Houston, that is too much risk for a return centered around Ware and two 2026 picks. I like Ware, but not this much.
I think you should be able to get more for KD than that, especially combined with Sengun. Replace KD with Reed in that scenario - I think Milwaukee would prefer it anyway, then ship KD to Dallas, GSW, OKC, Toronto or Detroit? Wherever you can get the best pick / return.
Being tall helps a player get their shot off. It helps with weakside defense. I don't see JSJ being more than a high-end role player, but I'm not sure he's an NBA player if he were Tari's height.
Reasonable take. It really depends on the value of the 2-26 picks in a loaded draft. If you concede that we won't be able to compete with OKC/SA over the next couple of years, KD is worthless to this team other than to trade. We might be able to get more for Sengun next year if he has a comeback, but he seriously screwed his trade value. Amen is clearly the only current Rocket that has a chance to be a star, so you start to re-build around him with young players that can shoot, create, and play defense. I don't know if it's for sure that the 10 and 13 pick are more valuable than our 27 phx pick and our own 28 pick, but the so called draft gurus seem to think it is highly probable. This trade would make us younger, make our cap space more flexible, and still maintain our best draft picks.
If I concede that Amen is not good enough to win with KD in the short term, are you willing to concede that Amen is not good enough to win without KD in the medium term? OKC and San Antonio are not going away anytime soon. Personally, I think the odds of winning with KD are very low, but I would not trade him just to trade him. Trading him in a deal that weakens the Rockets both short term and long term is not something I am for. Whether KD is traded or not is small potatoes compared to the long-term success of the Rockets. In this proposal, I do not really see KD bringing back positive value for Houston, because the Rockets are already sending out too much even if he is removed from the deal. Maybe Houston could get a useful long-term depth piece for KD elsewhere, but the value added here does not seem commensurate with what the Rockets are giving up. The bigger issue is Amen. I am not convinced he is a superstar. Building around him and being wrong would be a potentially devastating move. If he does not become a top-five type player, this trade is much more harmful than simply keeping Alpi and figuring out the KD situation separately. Even if Amen becomes a superstar, Stone should be able to do better than this trade. I also do not buy that this meaningfully makes the Rockets younger. Ware is less than two years younger than Sengun. The 2027 picks would likely produce 2 players a year younger than the 2026 picks. KD does not affect the Rockets’ long-term age curve unless you are relying on his next contract, which nobody is. So the “younger” argument really comes down to Ware over Sengun and the ages of the 4 picks involved. I do not really buy the cap-flexibility argument either. The Rockets would still be over the cap after the trade. Re-signing Wiggins or Mitchell could make the financial picture worse, not better. Houston might get a little more room below the first apron in 2027-28 for an MLE without resigning them, but if you are conceding the Durant years, then you are conceding that season too. And using the MLE on a multiyear deal could just create future salary issues. So I do not see this as materially improving Houston’s financial situation in any year that actually matters. On the draft-pick point, I have not seen any draft guru say that the No. 10 and No. 13 picks in 2026 are more valuable than a shot at a top-three pick in 2027. Maybe the Rockets do not get a good pick in 2027, but Houston should be trying to increase its chances of landing a premium pick, even in a weaker draft, rather than settling for middle-of-the-first picks even in a stronger one. The only way this makes sense is if Stone has identified a player in the 2026 draft whom he believes has star upside and will be available at 10 or 13. Without that specific conviction, I think this trade is a bad bet. It lowers the Rockets’ offensive upside, puts too much pressure on Amen becoming a superstar, and turns a known young offensive centerpiece into a much less certain collection of pieces.
Ironically you're right. When looking for leaks in a certain administration we found it was coming from the previous administration's florist. Look for those with access, placement in unextraordinary but necessary roles, and loyalty to a person, cause or profit.
