4 stars the Houston Rockets could trade for this summer

The NBA has been described as an arm's race. In basketball, the team with the best player is most often the winning team. To win an NBA title, you generally need a top-10 player.

With that said, there are various ways to land that superstar. Many folks will maintain that it's optimal to build through the draft. There are certainly advantages to that approach. When you build a core through the draft, they have time to grow and develop chemistry together.

In theory, that's the trajectory that the Houston Rockets are on. Yet, rumors have suggested that they could go star-hunting this summer. Is that their best course of action?

It's debatable. This front office could be questioning whether they have that franchise player within their current core. Alternatively, they could look for complimentary stars to help optimize their preferred young player(s).

Either way, here are four stars that the Rockets could target this summer.

4. Mikal Bridges

Is Bridges even a star? That depends on who you ask. For a long time, Bridges plied his trade as arguably the best 3-and-D wing in the NBA as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

On the Brooklyn Nets, he's been able to showcase some shot-making chops. With that said, it hasn't led to much winning in the borough. That's exactly why the Rockets will receive a lottery pick from the Nets in the 2024 NBA draft.

That's not all - the Rockets own their first-round picks, whether outright or via swap, through to 2027. That's why Bridges has been linked to the Rockets so frequently - surely, there's a deal to be made here, right?

We're not sure. It's a bit of a conundrum: the Nets and Rockets are both likely to put special importance on a 2025 pick in a loaded class featuring Cooper Flagg. That would be a sticking point in negotiations.

Besides - the Rockets could after a bigger fish.