5 Players the Houston Rockets should target before the trade deadline

The Houston Rockets, after an impressive six-game win-streak, have come back to Earth and only won once over their past five games. Part of the reason for their dip in performance has been the absence of Christian Wood who has been out with an ankle injury over the Rockets’ three-game slide.

The 2020-21 NBA season has tested the depth of every team’s roster as Covid safety protocols and a condensed schedule have made it near impossible for teams to trot out their best lineup night after night. The Rockets’ preferred starting lineup of Victor Oladipo, John Wall, Jae’Sean Tate, P.J. Tucker, and Christian Wood has only played three games together this season, all of which ended as victories.

The Rockets’ at their best are a playoff-caliber team but as this season has shown a team is only as good as it is deep. If they are going to make the playoffs the roster is going to need reinforcements.

The Rockets’ top-five needs

The Rockets have five pressing needs; they need another power forward or center, a 3-and-D player, a back-up point guard, a P.J. Tucker replacement, and a rebounding machine. Due to the salary cap, the Rockets will be hard-pressed to fill all of these holes but going out and solving one of these problems will greatly increase their playoff odds.

The franchise might not want to commit future assets to bolster this current roster but spending a few low-value picks to make a push for the playoffs should be something they have the stomach for. The Rockets have a ton of upcoming picks from the James Harden trade and should use one or two of them to snag some help for their rotation.

If the Rockets want to extend their franchise-record streak of playoff appearances to nine consecutive years they need to get active ahead of the trade deadline. These are five players they should target to fill their roster’s most pressing holes.

Next: Trade Target #5