Houston Rockets: Should the Rockets trade or re-sign David Nwaba?

Houston Rockets: Why they should re-sign David Nwaba

The Rockets are not a very good team this season, which is not entirely surprising considering the roster moves they’ve endured. It cannot be overstated but the Rockets lost two All-NBA players in James Harden and Russell Westbrook from last season’s team.

The Rockets need talent and David Nwaba has the chops to be an excellent defender and hold his own on the offensive end. It can’t be forgotten but the Rockets took a gamble when they signed Nwaba and the two likely have a good relationship because of it.

Last season, Nwaba ruptured his Achilles tendon when playing for the Brooklyn Nets in late 2019. The Nets waived him shortly thereafter and Nwaba was a player without a team recovering from a major injury.

In June of 2020, the Rockets signed Nwaba to a two-year contract that paid him $903,111 for the 2019-20 season as he recovered from his Achilles injury and $1.8 million in 2020-21. The Rockets believed enough in Nwaba that they were willing to pay him to not play for them.

That goodwill shouldn’t have gone away and Nwaba might be adamant about staying with a franchise that put his well-being before their own. If the Rockets can bring Nwaba back for something in the vein of three-years and $24 million then it’s a move well worth making.

The Rockets have a franchise cornerstone in Christain Wood but he alone cannot bring them back to glory. Nwaba is not the second piece to a championship team but he is the exact type of rotation piece that all champions have.

He can defend, he knows his strengths, and, most crucially, he knows his weaknesses. David Nwaba, at the right price, would be a tremendous asset to build around in Houston. The Rockets might be looking for draft picks, but when you have talent you should fight to keep it in town.