Trade still the best option for the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets haven't seen a whole lot on the Eric Gordon front as of recent, but that is still the best way forward for a team that needs to go all-in on its youth.

For a while there, it looked like the Rockets were finally going to move on from Eric Gordon in a trade. The 76ers looked like the most-likely candidate to snag the veteran near and around the 2022 NBA Draft, but nothing ever came of the smoke.

This is not a complete loss, although the best bet for the Rockets in the long run is to move off of Gordon.

However, the veteran starting the season with the young core that Houston has compiled is far from a bad thing. The Rockets are essentially out of veteran assistance outside of Gordon. Christian Wood is gone, and the team is showing no interesting in going after aging guys that can help the team compete now.

The Rockets will be at their best when they go through the growing pains that will inevitably follow such a youth-centric offseason, and Gordon stepping in from time to time won't be a bad thing.

The good news for the Rockets on this front is that a healthy Gordon is always going to have a market. There are still plenty of teams across the league that would love to have a veteran that has looked so good from three in recent years, so sitting and waiting isn't out of the question.

Eric Gordon is still not a long-term option for this Rockets team, and sooner will always be better if the franchise sees a route to open up more minutes for a younger guy that needs to develop.

Perhaps more options will open up as more teams get to evaluate where they are at in the race for the playoffs or for Victor Wembanyama.

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