Houston Rockets: 3 3-team trades for Damian Lillard

Houston Rockets 3 3-team trades #3: Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks blockbuster

The Rockets would be giving up the farm but in return, they'd land Damian Lillard, Julius Randle, and Robert Covington to play alongside Christian Wood. In a fell swoop, the Rockets would completely shift the balance of power in the Western Conference.

New York Knicks fans might scoff at the idea of trading Randle for CJ McCollum but it makes a lot of sense for them. Randle has one more year left on his deal and as great as he was last season it remains to be seen if New York really wants to commit $30 million-plus a season to keep him.

McCollum is under contract for three more seasons and his shot creation is an upgrade over Randle's. Gordon heads to New York to give the Knicks a backcourt boost, something that their playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks exposed as a weakness.

The Trail Blazers have to take John Wall and his bloated contract but they land a bounty of draft picks. Securing the 2nd, 21st, 23rd, and 24th picks in the 2021 NBA draft will allow the Trail Blazers to kick start their rebuild right away. The addition of three more picks and the ability to swap for Brooklyn's 2026 pick is a historic draft haul.

The Rockets would be tearing up their rebuild for an immediate championship contender. Lillard is one of the best offensive players in the league, Randle proved to be an awesome two-way forward, and Christian Wood's inside-out game would instantly give the Rockets one of the best offenses in the entire NBA.

Bringing Robert Covington back into the fold to go along with Jae'Sean Tate would give the Rockets the type of wing defenders needed to make a deep playoff run. Rebuilds don't have to take forever and this retooling would see the Rockets become one of the best in the west overnight.