The Houston Rockets finally pulled the trigger. They finally conceded the James Harden experiment and shipped him off to one of his desired destinations. The Brooklyn Nets will now boast a superstar trio consisting of Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. You read that right. The Nets got to keep Irving in the trade but had to sacrifice a ton of draft capital and some of their depth to land the former MVP.
That is just the tip of the iceberg of this gigantic trade though. The Indiana Pacers are also involved and will receive Caris LeVert, a second-round pick, and will send their All-Star, Victor Oladipo, to the Houston Rockets. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also in this package as they get Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince. There is a lot more detail to this trade and more that will most likely come, but you get the picture. With all of this happening, what is next for the Houston Rockets?
Houston Rockets: Their Future
How Houston is a Winner in This Trade
The Rockets were able to get almost as good of a package that they could have gotten for trading their best player. They get some draft compensation back after they lost a plethora of draft picks in the infamous Chris Paul deal. Now, the new Houston Rockets’ general manager, Rafael Stone, has a fair shot at successfully rebuilding this team. Not to mention, they also get an All-Star in Oladipo, albeit for maybe just a season.
On paper, this actually looks like a solid team with Oladipo teaming up with John Wall and Christian Wood. This team is by no means going to win the Western Conference, but they can still make the postseason with the talent that is still on this team. We haven’t even mentioned DeMarcus Cousins yet, who is only playing 13 minutes per game as of right now. As much as it hurts losing a superstar like James Harden, the Houston Rockets came away relatively successful in this trade.
What’s Next For the Houston Rockets?
The Rockets still have enough talent to net a playoff spot this year as alluded to earlier. They can ride it out with Oladipo this season and then decide whether it’s time to fully rebuild or try to build around Wall and Wood provided Wall has a nice bounce-back year. Regardless, Houston has house money to play with come the offseason. Yes, the rule is that the team trading the superstar is always the loser in the long run.
However, there are still some exceptions. Look at where the New York Knicks are at today compared to the Denver Nuggets after the famous Carmelo Anthony trade. The Rockets have a shot to flip the same script if they play their cards right with their new draft capital. They can use those picks to build around who they have now. Better yet, even use them in another trade if the opportunity arises. While the Houston Rockets are not contending for a title like the Brooklyn Nets will be anytime soon, Rafael Stone still got decent value for James Harden.
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