LaMelo Ball stunner reminds Rockets of important inevitable lesson

The NBA world woke up to shocking news on Thursday morning when LaMelo Ball was traded to the Timberwolves in exchange for Naz Reid and a slew of picks and pick swaps. The trade seemingly came out of nowhere, but should remind the Rockets that they will eventually need to make a big swing to add a star guard. 

Minnesota already has far more perimeter talent than Houston, and even they felt the need to add Ball in order to have a realistic title shot. It’s great that the Rockets keep finding players to hold down the fort at the guard positions, but they will need to make a trade one day if none of them become stars.

The Rockets will need a blockbuster trade of their own

In today's NBA, just having one star to carry an offense is not enough. The Wolves clearly learned this lesson with Anthony Edwards over the last few years, but the Rockets haven't acted on the same mantra to get help alongside Kevin Durant. Instead, Houston practically wasted a year of Durant's limited remaining All-NBA years with a deeply flawed roster missing a true point guard last season.

In fact, the Rockets are generally set up much worse than the Wolves to compete in the playoffs going forward. Edwards is arguably already a better offensive player than Durant but most notably he is also 13 years younger. And yet the Rockets have been hesitant to pull the trigger on other big trades that could help boost their offensive ceiling.

Obviously getting Durant in the first place was a big swing, but it wasn't enough considering how flawed the Rockets roster is overall. Even now, they don't have the perimeter talent to consistently generate easy looks and instead rely far too often on Durant to hit tough shots. And Durant could depart superstar status any season now considering his age and the wear on his body 18 years after his debut.

Houston has to address its flaws sooner rather than later

Although putting significant assets into a trade for a singular player can seem very risky, there are oftentimes other benefits from acquiring an additional star too. A star guard can make life easier for all his teammates and help them fit into their ideal roles. Currently most of the Rockets seem overtasked on offense and may benefit from a star guard to take over lead creation duties.

The Wolves made their risky trade for Ball knowing that Edwards needed help, even though they've had much more playoff success than the Rockets. If a genuine playoff contender like Minnesota can swallow its pride to make a big trade, the Rockets need to take a long hard look in the mirror.

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