Rockets rumors: Houston unlikely to make major trades this offseason

Although the Houston Rockets are in need of roster improvements, we shouldn’t expect them to make major trades this offseason.

Newly promoted Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone faces a tall order this offseason, as he and the Rockets’ front office will have to deliver on a title window that’s closing for James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Rockets were a top-heavy team during the 2019-20 season and will need to add depth during what will be one of the shortest offseasons in NBA history.

The departure of Daryl Morey has placed the Rockets at the center of trade speculation from the national media, as it’s been suggested that they should acquire Joel Embiid, while others have suggested the Rockets should pair Russell Westbrook with Philadelphia Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons. But according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen, who remains one of the top media sources for the Rockets, not only should we not expect Morey and Stone to strike a deal, but we shouldn’t expect the Rockets to make any major trades this offseason.

“We’ve heard alot about ‘oh will there be deals now between the Sixers and the Rockets.’ In some ways that will be hard to do, because they like the same people, that’s why they’re on this team, because they both liked those guys.

That makes it difficult to do big trades, but it makes it easier to do little ones. Things like that are more likely. They feel the same way they felt six months ago, which is the same way Daryl feels. So big ones are unlikely. It’s going to seem very much the same.”

Houston Rockets reportedly won’t make any splash trades this offseason

Feigen made the comments on Texas Sports Nation, which airs on Houston’s NBC-affiliate KPRC on Sunday nights. This report comes on the heels of Stone’s comments regarding the importance of the veterans-minimum, which would allow the Rockets to add a number of legitimate players.

The Rockets are in need of more shooters, as their 3-point shooting clip of 34.5 percent ranked 24th during the 2019-20 season, and was the worst shooting percentage for the franchise since the 2007-08 season, when they made just 34.2 percent of their threes.

The Rockets are also in need of a big man, as they learned last season that small ball isn’t a full-time solution. Feigen stated that Stone and the Rockets could make smaller, less attention-grabbing trades, which seems to hint at the possibility of the Rockets potentially making a trade to acquire a draft pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, of which the Rockets currently don’t hold any picks.

The Rockets don’t need to acquire a superstar to have a solid offseason, as many of the most impactful postseason contributors on title teams are unheralded role players. The Rockets also have the mid-level exception at their disposal, which they reportedly plan on spending.

We’ll have to see what Stone and the Rockets have up their sleeve this offseason, but we shouldn’t expect them to make any splash trades.