Insane to me that people are still suggesting that they wouldn't do Alpi for Giannis. Every GM in the history of the sport would do that deal.
lol, no. Giannis will turn 31 during next season. He relies on his athleticism. He has at most a 4-5 year window albeit his window is now. Alpi's and Amen's prime window is a few years away but that window will be open 10+ years. We would waste Giannis's remaining years trying to put the right team together for him to win. I just do not understand why everyone is so damn impatient. It takes time for superstars to fully blossom.
I don’t think that is actually true. Giannis is a win now trade. If a team that is 5 years away then you don’t trade Sengun for an aging superstar. If you are already in the hunt and the price is reasonable outside of just Sengun you do it. We do know that adding Giannis to the mix in Houston will exasperate our outside shooting woes, so any trade for him has got to leave us with enough assets and flexibility to upgrade our shooting.
Again, every single GM in the sport would make the swap and it's not because everyone can't do the math necessary to construct timelines. Giannis is a top-5 player for the next couple seasons, whereas Alpi is a top-50 that we hope grows into a top-20. The cone of uncertainty is large, and you are clearly just imagining the upside scenarios. If the FO were certain he'd be a top-10 player then no, they wouldn't do it. They would do it because they are not in fact certain.
Why would we run it back when we have a glaringly obvious issue in our starting lineup? I mean, look at this man, it is crazy! : I'm not saying we have to go all in on a superstar, but we have one major issue, and he has to be traded. AND, when we trade him, we need to replace him with someone who can consistently shoot, and, if possible, an upgrade in our guard talent.
I think one of the 2 biggest glaring needs this teams needs, is coming next year already just by Reed breaking into the rotation. I don't think we can realistically afford Fred on an opt-in. Not sure we should do a longer term deal. He was a very big problem with our shooting, even more so than Jalen (regular season obviously). If we replace Freds minutes with more Jabari and Reed, that "should" increase the shooting of the team. But that leads to our second biggest problem and thats playmaking, which fred is our current best. We cant rely on Jalen to be the lead playmaker, that much is obvious. We hope Amen can grow into that but he has much work to do there. Sengun is a secondary creator and not a lead guy. Reed is a long shot. What we need is an elite play making. If a guy like Maxey or LaMelo becomes available Sure lets go for it. Otherwise run it back and hope Amen and Sengun take another big leap. Hope that Jabari and Tari shoot better. Maybe Reed breaks out and steals Jalens spot in the lineup. Maybe we get lucky and land a top 2 pick and it fixes all of our needs. Run it back and if it isn't looking great, we can make a big move next year in season when a better fitting superstar possibly shakes loose.
At the trade deadline, the Rockets should have traded Dillion + Jalen (rookie contract) + Jock (expiring) + JaeSean (expiring) + 1 or 2 picks for KD. This team beats GS: FVV/Reed Amen/Holiday/Cam Durrant/Tari Jabari Alp/Adams But they can still do that trade this summer without including Dillion. Or better yet, trade Alp for Giannis and then get some shooting. Or hope that Reed, Tari, and Jabari improve. ...but no, don't 'run it back'.
KD is on the wrong timeline. Morant, Giannis, and Luka are feasible. But outside of that we run it back. We made it to the 2 seed. There is plenty of forward progress and upside happening.
Rarely, if never, do young teams win championships. It's always teams full of vets. If you can keep the core, minus Jalen, what is wrong with supplementing with KD for a couple seasons while the younger guys develop? By the time KD roles off, someone else should be ready to carry the team. I think it's a low-risk proposition.
Please don’t include Ja in your list. He does not fit and his mental state is not condusive to this team. Giannis and Luka would be pretty awesome, but realistically Luka is going to be a Laker for at least 5 more years.
I’d be open to it if it’s Jalen plus picks and maybe Tari. But there’s no way I’m throwing in Jabari for a 31-year-old superstar who can’t shoot and hasn’t played more than 70 games in five of the last six seasons. That’s a hard pass.
Seems to me, from the exit interview with Stone that no one is getting traded this off-season. Front office wants to waste the next 3 years waiting for Jalen Green to turn into a superstar.
NBA is wide open there hasn’t been a better time to strike than now there is currently no dominant team how y’all want to just run it back with the major weaknesses that we have is beyond me If we can’t take advantage now, then when? Rockets haven’t been to the finals in 30 years, and only 2 conference finals appearances since 1997
If this is a team that fell short during the NBA finals then yes run it back. I don't think "running it back" after being atrocious on offense and a first round exit is smart
I don't recall anyone saying this before. What evidence do you have that KD is bad for culture? Obviously, the #1 target is Giannis. After that, it's a toss-up between Booker and KD. Booker is on a $55.1mm annual contract thru 2028 plus he's eligible for an extension this summer. If you play Booker that, you better be sure he's your alpha dog ...and personally, I'm not so sure. He's more of a Robin than a Batman. One thing KD can do is shoot, and that just happens to be the thing the Rockets need. Plus he doesn't lock them in long term. The Rockets are now done with Phase 2 of the rebuild. They are in win-now mode.
