Who was Morey referencing as the ‘third star’ on the Houston Rockets?

In a recent Q&A, Daryl Morey said the team already has a third star. We take a look at who the Houston Rockets GM is likely referencing.

Last summer, the acquisition of Russell Westbrook led to the Houston Rockets forming one of the NBA’s best duos. With the trade, Westbrook and James Harden became the first pair of former league MVPs to start in the same backcourt. While the whole world knows the two are both stars, a recent comment by General Manager Daryl Morey suggests there’s a third star among them.

Morey is unquestionably one of the more active social media users involved with the team and probably the most active among all NBA GMs, which is fortunate for the entire Rockets fanbase. In one of his regular “ask me anything” Instagram segments, he was asked about a potential third star being acquired next season.

“Already have one,” replied Morey to the question. Morey didn’t elaborate any further, instead moving onto other questions about the team, his opinions on how basketball has changed and many other topics.

The question then remains: Who is the third star Daryl Morey was referring to on Instagram? In recent years, the role of third option has mostly gone to Clint Capela and Eric Gordon, who both have been on the cusp of earning All-Star nods often in their careers.

With a new roster that looks wildly different than it did a year ago, there are two likely candidates for which player the 14-year GM could have been talking about. I’ll start with option one:

Next: No. 1