Rockets will avoid Ja Morant disaster if latest rumors are true

The Houston Rockets would be wise to avoid Ja Morant if he's on the trade market. Luckily, The Athletic's Sam Amick is reporting that that's their likely course of action.

This will come as a disappointment to some Rockets fans. Some get stars in their eyes whenever a big name hits the rumor mill.

It's understandable. There's some excitement whenever your favorite team acquires a superstar player. That said, it's optimal when it's the right superstar:

And Morant is not that for the Rockets.

Rockets don't need Ja Morant

Question: What does Morant do off-ball?

He doesn't shoot threes - effectively, at least. He's a career 31.2% three-point shooter who's hitting an abysmal 13.9% of his attempts in 2025-26.

Amen Thompson has the same issue, but he at least he's got off-ball value. Thompson is an elite cutter. The same can't be said for Morant, who's a small guard.

Why does this matter? Well, Morant is a primary playmaker. If you don't intend on putting the ball in his hands, he doesn't offer much. The Rockets already have a primary playmaker. Alperen Sengun is averaging 22.8 points and 7.3 assists per game in 2025-26.

Morant would not do him any favors.

Rockets don't need to overhaul their team

Some will suggest that it's a moot point. They'll argue that Morant, at his best, is a better primary playmaker than Sengun.

That's possible - although it is debatable. Morant's most statistically impressive season is better than Sengun's, but as a small guard without a jumper, it would be fair to argue that he imposes more roster constraints than Sengun. Here's the bigger issue:

We may never see Morant at his best again.

That's the sad reality. Moreover, Morant is a poor point of attack defender. That makes him a bad fit in Ime Udoka's culture, but also, if the Rockets are acquiring a guard, it would be an asset if they were strong there. That would allow Udoka to put Thompson back in his more natural role as a free safety. Morant is a bad fit all around:

On and off the court.

Rockets have a strong culture

Listen - Morant is a monster talent. He's probably a good kid dealing with some personal issues.

Still, between his off-court drama and his injury problems, he feels like a lot of headache for a Rockets team that appears unified. The trouble it would take to accommodate Morant on and off the floor isn't worth the trade-off.

A team acquiring Morant should be a team looking to start from scratch. The Rockets should be looking to plug a strong 3-and-D guard who can function as a secondary ball-handler into a system that's already working:

Luckily, it seems like they're on the same page.