1 Pelican the Rockets must target in trade talks - and 2 they should avoid

The Houston Rockets have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA in 2024-25. They've been far more successful than most analysts anticipated.

For them to be so successful, other teams had to fail. That's the nature of professional sports. There's only a finite amount of space in the standings. The Rockets needed someone to leap over.

One of those teams has been the New Orleans Pelicans. It's been a hard year in the Big Easy. It's not an indictment of their talent level. The Pelicans have had unfathomably poor injury luck. At 5-21, this organization is reeling.

It seems they'll be hosting a fire sale as a result. Recent reports indicate that the Pelicans are open to trading anyone besides Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, or Yves Missi.

Is there anyone the Rockets should be interested in?

Rockets should avoid biggest Pelicans stars

There's a clear point of entry here. The conversation begins with Zion Williamson, pivots towards Brandon Ingram, and then it opens up.

Williamson is the wrong target for the Rockets. He doesn't fit into what's already been successful for them in 2024-25. To begin with, Williamson is an inconsistent defender at best. Alperen Sengun has made incredible progress on that end of the floor, but it's still sensible to surround him with high-quality defenders.

It's imperative to surround him with spacing. Williamson is shooting precisely 1.0 threes per game this year. Granted, that's over a small sample size - Williamson has only played 6 games in 2024-25.

That's the biggest reason to avoid him.

Williamson has been arguably the least durable player in the league throughout his career. The Rockets shouldn't give up anything valuable for Williamson - no team in the NBA should. He's simply too risky.

Ingram feels like a more sensible acquisition. He's done an impressive job of increasing his three-point volume in 2024-25. He's averaging 6.4 attempts per contest after favoring the midrange for several consecutive seasons. At 37.4%, Ingram is justifying his volume as well.

He would make the Rockets a better team. Ingram will also be seeking a max contract after this year. That's the rub. Ingram is good, and he'd make the Rockets better, but he's not enough of a needle mover to commit to. The Rockets should only be sacrificing a max contract slot for a player who's definitively max caliber.

So, neither of the Pelicans' star forwards would be a suitable target for the Rockets. Is there anyone else worth looking at?

Pelicans have some intriguing targets for the Rockets

Say no to Dejounte Murray.

Yes, Murray is a good player. He's also ball-dominant. Murray's defense fell off a long time ago. Adding him to this roster would be a needless systemic shock to a system that's operating on all cylinders.

CJ McCollum could be interesting. Granted, he's a weak defender as well. That said, his three-point gravity is something the Rockets badly need. Next year, McCollum will be on an expiring contract. The Rockets shouldn't give up any of their "core 7" or a first-round pick for McCollum, but if he can be had at a lower price, they could consider him.

How about Jordan Hawkins? Sure, he's shooting a paltry 33.3% from three-point range across 11 games in 2024-25. Hawkins is adjusting to new defensive attention with so many key Pelicans injured. He looked like a strong movement shooter in college, and his three-point shooting is likely to regress to the mean.

That said, the reporting may have missed Hawkins in a list of unavailable Pelicans. He's young and he's flashed potential. If New Orleans are looking to retool, they may hang onto Hawkins.

Finally, there's one target the Rockets should absolutely be calling about. Jose Alvarado would be a wonderful addition to this squad. He's a relentless point-of-attack defender who's shooting 40% from long-range. At 26, he should be available if the Pelicans are turning an eye to the future. If the Rockets are going to acquire a Pelican, it ought to be Alvarado:

He can help them continue to take teams by surprise.