Houston Rockets: Should they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

The Positives of the Houston Rockets being sellers

The team’s current success and style of play is entertaining and fun to cheer for but it is hard to see them winning a championship with the star-studded powerhouses that exist in the top title contenders. Without having a clear cut top option, it is going to be tough to take down the top duos in the Western Conference in Lebron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Rockets’ big three of John Wall-Victor Oladipo-Christian Wood (WOW) can cause problems but in a seven-game series against teams that have built chemistry for over a year, it would be hard to imagine this new trio prevailing. The injury histories of Wall and Oladipo make it tough to expect them to function at peak performance in the grueling schedule of the playoffs.

Another factor is that Oladipo and P.J. Tucker are both on expiring deals and are likely to leave in the coming offseason. With contending teams like the Lakers and Clippers always looking for additional pieces to put them over the top, Stone would probably receive a nice haul of picks if the Rockets trade Tucker.

Expected contenders like the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks that have been struggling so far this season might be willing to give up some young assets alongside with picks for Victor Oladipo so that they can come back into the race for the playoffs.

Next: Drawbacks to being sellers