Houston Rockets: 3 teams who need both P.J. Tucker and Victor Oladipo

Houston Rockets P.J. Tucker/Victor Oladipo trade bundle team #1 Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have dropped 11 of their past 16 games after starting the season 10-6 and are now in full-blown crisis mode. Over the first half of the season, the Celtics looked like a borderline contender after posting a net-rating of +3.1 points per 100 possessions.

Since their promising start, they’ve regressed on both ends of the court and have been outscored by 2.4 points per 100 possessions over that span. The Celtics are still led by All-Star duo Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum but after them, their roster starts to get thin.

One of their biggest concerns has to be that Kemba Walker, after offseason knee surgery, looks like a shell of the player he once was. If Walker isn’t right then the Celtics have no chance to make a deep playoff run as currently constructed.

No team in the NBA would benefit more from Victor Oladipo and P.J. Tucker’s presence than the Celtics. Oladipo would provide depth in the backcourt and an insurance policy if Walker continues to struggle and P.J Tucker would give the Celtics another reliable frontcourt and wing option.

The Celtics own all of their upcoming first-round picks, have a bevy of young players on rookie contracts, and, most crucially, they have a $28.5 million trade exception as part of Gordon Hayward’s sign and trade with the Charlotte Hornets, which is almost the exact amount of Oladipo and Tucker’s combined salary.

The Rockets would be able to command at least two first-round picks and their pick of the Celtics’ recent draftees. The Celtics have a glaring need, a boatload of assets and cap space and the Rockets have a solution, some deals just make too much sense not to happen.