The Houston Rockets shouldn't rush to acquire a star

The Houston Rockets have gotten very little from Jalen Green in 2024-25. The Houston Rockets are 13-6.

Sometimes, life is funny.

The prevailing assumption has been that for the Rockets to progress, Green would have to lead the charge. Alperen Sengun has been producing like a star. The Rockets knew they had a dynamic wing rotation.

They've been a star guard away from a playoff appearance.

Well, the Rockets didn't get their star guard. They're distinctly on pace to make the playoffs anyway. Naturally, this means that fans are linking them to superstar guards.

Should they acquire one?

Rockets should exercise patience

There are several related questions to answer here. Should the Rockets make a move for a star before this year's deadline? Should they move for one this summer? Does the star they acquire have to be a guard?

The first question has an easy answer: no.

Presumably, the only "stars" that have a chance to be available leading up to the deadline are Zach LaVine, Brandon Ingram, and Jimmy Butler. If that assumption proves false, it's worth reassessing this argument, but let's treat it as a working assumption.

None of them are worth assets. Butler is too old, and the other two aren't good enough. Some have speculated that the Bulls might flip LaVine for Green straight up, mirroring the Caruso-for-Giddey deal they made in the summer.

Perhaps they would. That leaves the Rockets with roughly $10 million more in salary to deal with. Given their age difference, moving LaVine if a real star shakes loose this summer should be more difficult than moving Green. More broadly, it doesn't feel realistic that Houston would acquire LaVine at the deadline only to move him again in the summer. That's bad business, and Rafael Stone wants to maintain an image as a player-friendly general manager.

The Rockets have been impressive this year, so there's a temptation to upgrade hastily. The Rockets should avoid that temptation.

For now.

Rockets should trade for the right star guard

The next two questions are closely related. Barring a miracle, Giannis Antetokounmpo is bound to hit the trade market this summer.

For what it's worth, I've changed my mind about Antetokounmpo. The Rockets' wing rotation is driving so much of their success. It would be more sensible to keep it together and add a star guard to the equation.

So yes, it should be a star guard. The logic is simple. The Rockets are this good with one of the least productive backcourts in the NBA (Fred VanVleet retains some on-court value, but he's struggling). How good could they be with a star in the guard rotation?

On a related note, the Rockets should forget about Anthony Edwards. They have enough draft capital to acquire a player like De'Aaron Fox or Devin Booker without giving up one of Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, or Amen Thompson.

That should be the path forward for this team.

Something about what the Rockets are doing feels special. It's seldom wise to halt inertia. The players who have been responsible for their success this year should remain part of the team. Acquiring Edwards would surely force them to part with one of the 'Terror Twins'.

Perhaps it's worth it. Edwards is a game-changer. He'd pair with Alperen Sengun to form one of the best offensive duos in the NBA.

Yet, it's worth looking at the structural reasons why this Rockets team is having success. It goes beyond talent. The Rockets are winning the possession battle on a nightly basis. That's largely due to a platoon of young wings who rack up steals and rebounds. If you move one of the twins, you lose that.

There's a lot of talk in NBA circles about "how to build a champion". The reality is that champions have been built in too many disparate ways to identify a blueprint. Every example has a counterexample.

On one hand, having an MVP-level player seems to be the key. On the other, keeping a group together seems to work better than blowing one up to get that player. The commonality is that building a champion is exceedingly difficult and requires extraordinary luck.

This is all little more than fan fiction. None of the players listed here may be available even by next summer. In that event, the Rockets should take Green out of the starting lineup. Slide Dillon Brooks to the 2, and insert Thompson into the opening five.

That said, this is more than blind speculation. Antetokounmpo trade rumors are nearly their own industry at this point.

Fox declined an extension with the Kings last summer. It's possible that he's angling for more money. It also feels feasible that Fox has a wandering eye. Does he want to stay in Sacramento, who seem mired in perpetual mediocrity? Or, would he rather play for his ascending hometown club?

The Booker linkage is obvious. The Suns have completed depleted their assets. If they flame out in the playoffs, no team is in a better position than the Rockets - who have a considerable share of those assets - to make a move for Booker.

The broader point is this: Eventually, stars will become available. The Rockets' best route is to wait until they can find one who's a guard and can be acquired without giving up one of their key wings. They should lean into what's working, and improve upon what isn't. As it stands, they're 13-6:

What would their record be if Green was working out?