The Top-5 Houston Rockets based on their trade value

The Houston Rockets are no stranger to trade rumors. For the past six months, the franchise has navigated from one prospective trade to another and in some cases, they’ve gone ahead and pulled the trigger.

What makes trades so fascinating is that they allow the average fan a glimpse into the inner workings of an NBA team. Player-X is traded for Player-Y and Pick-Q, are all little clues to tell those on the outside what NBA front offices value and what they don’t.

The three most important factors to a player’s value are their production, their contract, and their age. There are little things that can push a player’s value up or down, like injury history and perceived attitude, but for the most part, if you’re young, productive, and cheap everyone in the league will want you even if you’re an injury-prone jerk (insert Kyrie Irving joke).

How the Houston Rockets value their current roster

The Rockets, like every team, are constantly evaluating their roster and tracking the value of each player. For instance, P.J. Tucker’s name has come up in trade rumors and reportedly the Rockets would like a first-round pick or three second-round picks to part with him.

The Rockets value Tucker at a certain level and if another team does as well then a deal is there to be made. Every team has a price, no matter the player, and the higher it is, the better trade value that player has.

This season, the Rockets have been wheeling and dealing with such ferocity that it has become difficult to know who has a future in Houston and who doesn’t, but in many ways that is emblematic of the modern NBA. Everyone is always available if one team is motivated enough to make it happen.

Should the Rockets listen to offers for their entire roster? Absolutely not, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it for them. These are the five Rockets with the most trade value and how much it’d take to see them on the first flight out of Houston.

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