Rockets: 3 reasons why the Oladipo trade isn’t as bad as it seems

1. The Houston Rockets got worse, which is good!

I understand it is frustrating watching this team play basketball lately. Obviously, the Houston Rockets have dealt with injuries, which have played a role in where they are in the standings.

When the Houston Rockets made the decision to trade Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2019, part of the agreement was to include 2 first-round picks and 2 pick swaps.

In 2021, the first round pick swap will be protected in the 1-4 range. With this being said, Oladipo being traded is a good thing for the Houston Rockets future.

The regression will maximize their chances of remaining in the bottom-three standings, which share an equal probability of landing the number one pick (14 percent) and a top-4 pick (52.1 percent). While the regression is evident, the trade does have an added risk for the Houston Rockets. Miami is currently 22-23, which is good for seventh in the standings in the Eastern Conference.

Trading Oladipo there makes them theoretically better, and if the pick swap does convey for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets face the possibility of selecting a much lower pick in the first round given the probability of Miami improving in the standings is quite significant. Oladipo will fit well with the Heat given his skill set and the team’s culture are a good match.

Tyler Herro has played significant point guard minutes for the team this season. This allows Oladipo to be inserted in the shooting guard spot and the other remaining spots in the starting lineup will likely remain the same.

In conclusion, the Oladipo trade isn’t as bad as what many Houston Rockets fans are making it seem like. The bigger picture of Houston continuing to regress should be prioritized as opposed to adding talent.

Rafael Stone might be in his first year as a general manager for the Houston Rockets, but this hasn’t stopped him from preparing for life after James Harden.