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.

3. Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell's fit alongside the rest of this core is interesting. There are reasons why any arrangement could work, and reasons why any arrangement would be flawed.

Let's assume that Jalen Green was involved in a Mitchell deal. The veteran guard's fit alongside Alperen Sengun is a perfect inside/outside pairing - on offense. Unfortunately, Sengun is the type of big man who should be surrounded by defenders. We've seen Mitchell get targeted in the playoffs as a small guard and Sengun may suffer the same fate.

With that said, it could be Sengun who gets shipped off. In that event, Mitchell and Green would make for an interesting backcourt. They're both natural scorers with some ability to set up teammates. Would they have enough combined playmaking?

We're not sure. Mitchell is an intriguing fit, but he's not a clean one. Could the Rockets find someone more likely to complement a larger number of their players?

2. Brandon Ingram

There's been an interesting quirk in Ingram's career. In 2020-21, he attempted 6.1 threes per game. The next season, that number was reduced to 4.1 attempts per game. Ingram has been a low-volume three-point shooter ever since.

That's fine. Ingram is a rare example of a player who shoots the midrange efficiently enough to justify hunting those shots. Still, if he's going to compliment either Green, Sengun or both, he'll have to return to his 2020-21 volume.

If he can do that? He'll otherwise be a perfect fit alongside whoever is left in this young core. Ingram is a serviceable defender and a strong secondary playmaker. In theory, he should fit alongside anyone.

Yet - he isn't quite a franchise-caliber guy, is he? If the Rockets traded for Ingram, they'd be hoping that one of the young players remaining after the deal could be that guy.

Could another Pelicans forward serve as a ready-made franchise player?

1. Zion Williamson

Granted, Williamson hasn't been a certified top-10 player in 2023-24. Cut him some slack. This is Williamson's first fully healthy season in a long time.

Williamson is just 23. At some points in his career, he's performed at a borderline MVP level. There's every reason to believe that he can return to that form eventually.

Meanwhile, he's shown some defensive improvement this year. Williamson boasts a 0.5 Defensive Box Plus/Minus in 2023-24. The last time he played a relatively full slate of games in 2020-21, he was at -0.3.

Yes, there are injury concerns. There are fit concerns as well. If the Rockets are deterred by the former, that's understandable. They shouldn't be concerned about the latter - if the Rockets trade for Williamson, they'll be building their roster around him.

He'd be their franchise player.