18 people who turned their back on the Houston Rockets franchise

The Houston Rockets have made it a point to take care of their players in recent memory. During the rebuild, the Rockets sent players to contenders, or simply released players outright, so they could join winning teams.

It wasn't always like that, however, as former GM Daryl Morey had the opposite approach. Morey merely viewed players as assets more than anything else. Players were often treated more like property than actual people, which gave the Rockets a bad reputation around the league during his reign.

The Rockets ultimately paid for this in the end, as many players decided against joining the team and/or re-joining the team for a repeat engagement. Let's take a look at 18 players who turned their back on the Rockets' franchise over the course of the Rockets' existence.

18. Victor Oladipo

In spite of James Harden's trade request in 2021, the Rockets sought to remain contenders in the Western Conference. The Rockets ultimately traded Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, in a deal that netted them a haul of draft picks and Victor Oladipo, and found themselves 11-10 after 21 games and in the thick of things in the West.

The Rockets chose Oladipo over Caris LeVert and/or Jarrett Allen because they were looking for a star-level player with the ability to keep the team in contender status. Oladipo had 32 points and nine assists in his Rockets debut, which surely made Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta feel vindicated at the onset.

The Rockets offered Oladipo a two-year extension worth $45 million, as they were hoping to keep the trio of John Wall, Victor Oladipo, and Christian Wood together for several more seasons. However, it takes two to tango, and Oladipo wasn't as interested as the Rockets were.

Oladipo rejected the extension, despite the Rockets' overtures, as he had his sights set on joining the Miami Heat.