5 Houston Rockets at risk of being traded this summer

Houston Rockets fans are growing attached. Who could blame them? This team has an exciting young core. Who wouldn't want to see them grow together?

Tilman Fertilla? Possibly? Rafael Stone? We wouldn't rule it out. This is the NBA. Trades happen, whether we want them or not.

Recently, it's been rumored that the Rockets could go star hunting this summer. That doesn't necessarily mean moving one of the young bucks. The Rockets could theoretically build a package around some of their veterans and draft capital.

With that said, if the fish is big enough, it's going to require some substantial bait. We can't rule out the possibility that a member of "the core six" gets moved this summer.

Here are five Rockets at risk of being traded in the offseason.

5. Jock Landale

Give Stone some credit - he knows how to structure a team-friendly deal. Landale makes $8 million a season through 2026-27, but he has a team option every summer. Such a flexible contract could make for a valuable trade chip.

At the same time - give Landale some credit as well. He's filled in admirably for an injured Alperen Sengun. Landale is averaging 4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 2023-24, and 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in March.

Throughout much of this season, Landale looked like a third-string big. Now, it looks like an ankle injury was impeding him. Landale is a heady player, a strong positional passer, and a decent drop coverage rim protector. Most importantly, he always plays with effort.

Still, he won't be untouchable by any means this summer.

4. Dillon Brooks

How can we describe the Dillon Brooks experience in Houston? We'll go with "confusing". Brooks' 2023-24 season has been confusing.

He's an ace defender, right? Well then, explain why Brooks boasts a -0.1 Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM).

Granted, defensive metrics can't capture everything. Unfortunately, this largely matches the eye test. Brooks plays hard, but he's been underwhelming on the defensive end. With Amen Thompson and Tari Eason (in a smaller sample size) lapping him by that same metric, Brooks could be expendible.

Offensively, the Rockets could certainly use an upgrade. Brooks was a servicable floor spacer for most of the season, but due to a recent slump, he's regressed to just 35.3% from three-point range on the season. He also a tendency to commandeer possessions. Brooks can be a bail-out option, but a self-created possession from him is typically a suboptimal possession.

Unlike Landale, Brooks' deal isn't entirely team friendly. He's making $20 million a year for the foreseeable future. Still, he could be fodder in a blockbuster trade - in today's economy, $20 million is moveable.

3. Jae'Sean Tate

In some respects, Tate is a lot like Brooks. He's an undersized wing (6'4") who offers some defensive value, and little floor spacing (29.9% from long range).

Unlike Brooks, Tate has largely fallen out of the rotation recently. He's not a player that the Rockets would look to functionally upgrade. If they upgrade in other areas, Tate could be a non-factor in next year's rotation.

Meanwhile, there's some benefit in keeping him around. Tate is the longest-tenured Rocket. He's a good locker room influence by all accounts, and he'll make the young guns work in practice.

Those are all reasons to keep him. Still, the Rockets shouldn't hesitate to move him in the right deal. In the end, this is fairly consequential.

That won't be true for the next two players on this list.

2. Jalen Green

Don't shoot the messenger.

How could the Rockets think of trading Green? Well, it seems as if they already did. The Rockets allegedly included Green in some trade discussions around this year's deadline.

Sure, things have changed since then. Green won a Western Conference Player of the Week award in March. He's averaging a hyper-efficient 27.7 points per game during the month. Meanwhile, every advanced metric suggests that Green has been the driving force behind a 13-2 month for the squad.

Still, we knew Green could get hot. Can he stay hot? Will the Rockets view this month as a turning point or just another data point? Can they rely on Green to maintain star-level production throughout an entire season?

To be clear - we wouldn't trade Green. We wouldn't trade the next player on this slide, either. We're simply saying that Green could be available if a top-10 player shakes loose this summer.

Keep that in mind before clicking "next".

1. Alperen Sengun

Sengun has been the Rockets' best player in 2023-24. He's also been absent for the team's best stretch. What should the Rockets make of that?

In all likelihood, nothing. Let's play devil's advocate.

Sengun primarily operates in the paint. That keeps his primary assignment - often, a rim protector- in the same area. Does that make life harder for Jalen Green? What about Amen Thompson?

Meanwhile, Sengun is a limited defender. For some, that's an especially significant flaw in a big man. Sengun may be the type of player that you need a particular roster in order to build around.

That doesn't mean that the Rockets should rush to trade him. Ime Udoka can find offensive sets that keep him out of the paint. If Sengun were to operate more out of the high post, or as a dribble hand-off hub, he could develop a lethal two-man game with Green.

Moreover, the Rockets had an elite defense with Sengun in the middle throughout most of the year. All told, this team should probably stay the course when it comes to their two 2021 draftees.

Still, don't get too attached to either - who knows who might be available?