NBA Rumors: Why the Rockets could be the perfect Trae Young trade destination

The Houston Rockets are still in the middle of a rebuild, but they’re inching closer to the days of winning basketball. They’ve assembled an exciting young core and are poised to add another blue chip prospect in the 2023 NBA draft. Through their teardown, they’ve amassed an enviable cache of trade assets, and the most recent NBA rumor should have Rafael Stone plotting a major move.   

Trae Young may be the next available superstar

According to Bleacher Reports’ Chris Haynes, rival executives believe that the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young could be the next superstar to request a trade if the team “doesn’t make inroads come postseason time.” While a Trae Young trade request isn’t imminent, that doesn’t mean these rumors are coming out of nowhere. 

Young dragged the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, has already had tension with both of his head coaches, and is now in the midst of a second consecutive disappointing season. A team’s trajectory is everything. The Hawks’ arrow around Young was pointing up, but now it’s either pointing down or is flat. 

Speaking of trajectory, the Rockets’ organizational arrow is pointing up to such a degree that one could call their arrow a rocket. While the on-court results this season have been disappointing, the development of the Rockets’ young players has been fantastic. Jalen Green’s floor looks to be a 25-points-per-game scorer, Jabari Smith Jr. is a unique defensive player with a soft-serve smooth jumper, Tari Eason is a menace to basketball society in the best way, Alperen Sengun is a monster on the low-block and still has untapped potential as a passer, Usman Garuba is a modern switch-everything five, and Kevin Porter Jr. continues to showcase excellent off-ball skills even if he is miscast as a point guard. 

In fact, the one thing the Rockets desperately need right now is a true point guard. So why not go out and get one of the best point guards in the league?