The Houston Rockets should consider trading for Kyle Korver

The Houston Rockets have struggled to begin the year in many areas, including shooting. Should they pursue a trade for a sharpshooter on the market?

The Houston Rockets have just one win on the young season heading into a matchup tonight against the Brooklyn Nets. To say that they’ve struggled on both ends of the floor would be an understatement, as they currently have the 6th-worst Offensive Rating and 7th-worst Defensive rating in the league.

Shooting has been one major issue for the Rockets. They are shooting 33% overall from 3, an abysmal number. They’re doing that while still taking 41 of them per game, which is less than ideal. The team has struggled to hit shots, so they might want to look at the trade market for someone who can.

In comes Kyle Korver.

The veteran sharpshooter would be an interesting addition to the Rockets. He was recently told by the Cleveland Cavaliers that he would be out of the rotation as they look to play their younger guys and they are exploring the trade market for him.

Cavs finally got a win tonight. But in other news they're in an unprecedented stalemate with their acting coach, are managing a volatile situation with JR Smith & have started gauging trade market for Kyle Korver (w/@wojespn): https://t.co/ZLpdOFyTiL

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) October 31, 2018

Korver fulfills a need

Kyle Korver has been one of the best shooters in the league since he came into the NBA in 2003. He has never shot below 37.5% from deep and he has shot over 40% in 9 of his last 10 seasons. He’d be a perfect fit in this offense off the bench next to a Chris Paul-led second unit.

He certainly could take the minutes that Michael Carter-Williams currently has on the team. MCW has disappointed and is not a threat on either end of the court so far this season. Korver might not be fantastic defender these days, but at least he can bring much-needed shooting to the squad.

It’s tough to gauge the interest level of both sides for this deal. The Rockets could certainly use him, but they may be focusing on a Jimmy Butler deal instead at the moment. If that falls apart, though, they could look elsewhere to fulfill some team needs.

The current rumored teams seem to be OKC along with others like Philly and Milwaukee. Don’t be surprised if the Rockets slide into those talks as well.

Another name

Another potential Cavs trade option would be J.R. Smith, also on the block. He was rumored to be pursued by the Rockets this summer, but nothing worked out there.

I personally would not want J.R., as he is well passed his good years. At least Korver would be able to produce and hit shots with consistency, something J.R. would not really bring to the team. He’s still a decent shooter, but his decision making leaves much to be desired.

The Rockets should have leftover assets from a potential Jimmy trade if they need to use them to get another shooter off the bench. Adding Korver would be a fantastic option for the team, in my opinion.