5 NBA Contenders That MUST Make A Trade Before The Deadline
4. Houston Rockets
With a historically potent offense, and two of the NBA’s all-time stat-stuffing MVP calibre guards, the Rockets have the foundations to win it all.
In James Harden the Rockets have been blessed - or cursed, that’s your call - with a generational talent equipped with an offensive arsenal compared to the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky-hook, or Dirk Nowitzki’s fadeaway. With some initially shrewd roster moves by GM Daryl Morey they have been rewarded with winning seasons and have ushered in a new brand of basketball.
The issue for them is that given Harden’s usage rate during the regular season (he has comfortably lead this category for the last 5 seasons) they have faltered during the playoffs due to fatigue and coaching fragilities. To combat this Daryl Morey pulled the trigger to trade for Russell Westbrook. By adding Russ Houston now lumbered themselves with BOTH the highest usage rates in the league, not to mention that the system they employ relies on a bombardment of 3pt shooting spread apart from a singular offensive leader, something Russ has struggled mightily with shooting a poor 28%.
The level of adjustment needed to successfully combine the 2 stars has been staggering, and while they continue to show flashes of brilliance, it’s painfully apparent that their progression has a team has begun to falter. They have a disturbing lack of depth and at this stage, a change is needed.
The Rockets should think about capitalising on the market value of Clint Capella. The 6’11 big man is a perennial league leader in the pick and roll, but his offense is limited. His contract is an attractive $14m-$18m per year for the next 3 years and at the age of 25, he is a tradeable asset that would warrant a sizeable return.
So what to do?
Perhaps looking to move him for comparable big man Thomas Bryant from Washington would be a fair route, and would allow them to pursue some more wing depth in the process with the likes of D.Bertans. Alternatively, they could look closer to home and enquire about the availability of Andre Iguadala. A tough sell given Memphis’s remarkable playoff push this season, but the Grizzlies have a multitude of big men who could be sent the other way, or they could look for a multi-team deal.