Kyrie Irving proved his trade value first-hand to the Rockets

The Rockets have been getting solid point guard play this season, but Kyrie Irving showed them how much better it could be on Friday night. He finished with an electric 35 points and 9 assists while handing Houston its first loss of the NBA season.

Irving has been floated as a potential trade target for the Rockets in the past, but it was always unclear how much they valued him. His direct performance in head-to-head competition while being guarded by some elite defenders should put those concerns to rest. It's clear that Kyrie is still one of the best point guards in the world and would do a lot to take pressure off Kevin Durant in Houston if the Rockets traded for him.

Kyrie should be a prime Rockets trade target

Irving was having a fairly lackluster start to the season - he averaged just 18 points per game in his first 5 games - but his performance against the Rockets showed what he can do in the highest pressure moments. Not only are the Rockets the toughest competition he's faced this season, but it was also an NBA Cup game, adding more significance for both teams.

Time and time again, Kyrie picked the Rockets apart with both his tough shotmaking and his playmaking. All the while, he was being guarded by players like Marcus Smart, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason: some of the most respected perimeter defenders in the league. But they couldn't slow down Kyrie at his best.

Kyrie was efficient as usual on his way to a big scoring total. He finished the game shooting 12-of-19 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point range, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. His scoring efficiency was not as present on the Rockets side of things, as Fred VanVleet finished the game shooting 6-of-17 and Durant went 9-of-20 including 1-of-6 from deep.

If the Rockets did manage to acquire Kyrie, likely for VanVleet and some additional assets, he would make them into a top-tier contender overnight. Kyrie and KD have thrived as a duo before on the Nets, and both still have the same skills that made them so dangerous even years later. Throw in the incredible Houston defense and you have a title-winning recipe.

Kyrie can help the youth movement too

Of course, trading for Kyrie could throw a wrench in some of the Rockets' ongoing development this season. But his introduction can also help younger Rockets improve rapidly. He's been a positive influence in Dallas on Luka Doncic, who made the Finals one season after getting Kyrie as a teammate, and Cooper Flagg, who has looked tremendous to start this season.

There's no reason that Kyrie would necessarily have a negative effect on Houston's young stars in Thompson and Alperen Sengun. He can even put them in better positions to match their skillsets and help them see the game better.

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