4 players the Houston Rockets chose to hold on to way too long

The Houston Rockets have been one of the most willing teams to make trades with across the league. Every year the Rockets have been mentioned as one of the teams to look for at the NBA’s trade deadline, and especially during Daryl Morey’s tenure as the GM.

More often than not, the Rockets have seemingly always known when to pull the trigger on a deal, as they’ve developed a reputation of being able to gauge the value of an asset. This has led to criticism from players, who have spoken out about essentially being viewed and treated as assets, as opposed to players with feelings and emotions.

Long-time NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick nearly signed with the Rockets in 2017 but ultimately decided against it for this very reason, as Redick explained.

"I hate to say this- but you never know with Daryl and how he operates. A three-year deal could really be a six-month deal if you get dealt at the trade deadline for a superstar as part of a package of six.”

4 players the Houston Rockets held on to for too long

The Rockets have tried to self-correct since Morey left the franchise in 2020, which has led to the complete opposite. In other words, Rockets GM Rafael Stone, who worked under Morey, has prioritized relationships significantly more than Morey, and has ultimately held on to players probably a little longer than he should have.

Let’s take a look at several players who the Rockets held on to for too long (Morey included).

4. P.J. Tucker

PJ Tucker has been the quintessential 3-and-D player, which is a skillset that has made him more valuable. Every team is looking for a player who can anchor down on defense, while also playing his role on offense.

For Tucker, his offensive value is solely fulfilled by standing in the corner and hitting open threes, which is usually most effective while playing alongside someone who can create enough gravity to draw the defense in and create open space for Tucker. Tucker doesn't have to have the ball in his hands, as he's not relied upon to be a primary scoring threat.

Tucker became a starter on the 2017-18 Rockets team during the postseason, as his defense provided juice to a lineup that was switch-heavy. Tucker's versatility and ability to defend every position on the floor made him a favorite under then Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni.

Tucker became a stable with the Rockets and was even the key to the franchise's decision to play without a traditional center and adopt the small ball strategy, as his ability to operate as a small ball center meant that Russell Westbrook could essentially play center on offense, as the lane was wide open.

The Rockets dangled Tucker in trade talks for several years, including when they famously pursued Jimmy Butler, offering a bevy of draft picks in 2018-19. The Rockets ultimately dealt Tucker at the deadline during the 2020-21 season, after they were clearly undergoing a teardown.

Tucker's play regressed significantly during that season, as he averaged just 4.4 points on 36 percent from the field, which was by far his worst shooting season in his career upto that point. Tucker also made just 31.4 percent of his triples during his Rockets stint and ultimately reached a mutual agreement to stop suiting up for the franchise, while they sought a new home for the defensive ace.

The Rockets' decision to trade Tucker after the organization's roster overhaul diminished his value because teams knew they had to move him by that point. Ultimately the Rockets got the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round pick and Tucker was able to win a championship that year.

3. Tracy McGrady

The Rockets' acquisition of Tracy McGrady during the 2004 offseason was intended to give Yao Ming a superstar pairing. T-Mac had led the league in scoring in consecutive seasons prior to his arrival to the Space City and was viewed in the same stratosphere as Kobe Bryant at the time.

Although the Rockets had several great moments with T-Mac, the Yao-McGrady pairing never quite lived up to its potential. This is because injuries to both stars limited their time on the court, as McGrady missed nearly half of the Rockets' games in 2005-06 and 2008-09.

As for Yao, he missed 86 games between 2005-2008, which was when McGrady was mainly healthy. The Rockets' best bet would have been to have moved McGrady after the 2006-07 season, as he was coming off three consecutive seasons of averaging at least 24 points in Houston, and had even posted a career-best 6.5 assists per game, which ranked 12th in the league.

By that point, the Rockets had seen three seasons of the McGrady experience and the results were quite underwhelming, as the Rockets were first-round outs in two of the seasons and even missed the playoffs during the other.

McGrady still had peak value, and the Rockets could've tried their hand at pairing Yao with another superstar. Instead, the Rockets waited until 2009-10 to move him, which was far too late, as he didn't have any value after missing 47 games and averaging just 15.6 points during the previous year.

2. Jae' Sean Tate

Jae’Sean Tate’s arrival to the NBA is a remarkable story. Tate went undrafted and was forced to play overseas- not knowing whether it would lead him to the NBA or not.

In fact, most of the time it doesn’t. However, Tate found his way back into the NBA after stints in the Belgian League and NBL, in which he amassed a Belgian Cup title, a Belgian League All-Star selection, and an All-NBL First-Team selection.

Tate ended up signing a two-year deal with the Rockets, which was very team-friendly, as it was a two-year deal worth less than $3 million in total. Tate ended up making First-Team All-Rookie after averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 2020-21.

Tate’s play, coupled with his bargain contract, made the Rockets’ franchise leaders feel as though they had something. However, Tate’s inability to shoot from deep has led to significant spacing issues, so much that Tate reportedly spent the 2022 offseason trying to develop a respectable shot from deep (to no avail, as he made just 28.3 percent of his triples in 2022-23, his career worst).

The Rockets were reportedly offered Grant Williams in exchange for Tate at the trade deadline and rejected the Boston Celtics, which seems unimaginable at this point. Tate, who will be 28-years-old by the time the 2023-24 season starts, has been unable to stay healthy, which is a trend that tends to continue as players age.

For this reason, Tate essentially doesn’t have any value right now, which is partly why the Rockets had to deal KJ Martin instead. And with the Rockets’ logjam at the forward spot, it could be difficult for Tate to find minutes in the rotation.

1. Eric Gordon

Although the Rockets’ acquisition of Eric Gordon was a bit of a question mark, he arrived at the perfect time. The Rockets had a bit of a regression period in 2015-16, as they barely made the playoffs and were an easy first-round matchup for the Golden State Warriors.

Gordon won Sixth Man of the Year, 3-Point Contest, and helped the Rockets reach the second-round of the playoffs, all in his first season. Gordon become one of the team’s most reliable postseason performers in the years that followed, while also being capable of taking away opposing teams’ best scoring threat in the backcourt.

Gordon proved pivotal during the Rockets’ postseason duels with the Utah Jazz, as he made life difficult for former Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell continuously. Gordon also became one of the Rockets’ best players during their postseason battles against the Golden State Warriors, as he averaged 19 points on 42.3 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, followed by a nearly identical statline of 20 points, 45.2 percent from the field, and 34.5 percent from three in the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals against the Dubs.

Gordon’s value was proven time and time again in Houston during the Rockets’ contending years. However, he became overvalued by the organization during the rebuilding years, as the Rockets continued to rebuff trade offers from teams that were interested in Gordon across the league.

The Rockets continued to talk up Gordon’s impact in the locker room, although we continued to see signs of immaturity from the young Rockets on the floor. The Rockets entered the third year of their teardown with him still in the roster, and even had talks with him regarding a contract extension (imagine that).

Gordon was initially dealt to the LA Clippers at the trade deadline for a first-round pick, which turned out to be the pick that got Cam Whitmore. So everything worked out from that standpoint, but it doesn’t change the fact that Rockets GM Rafael Stone held onto EG for entirely too long.