Rockets will need to make a season-defining trade decision (but not yet)

The Houston Rockets have in trade rumors all year. Until they get Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith back, they should not be thinking about doing much at all.

It's been a weird season, hasn't it? The Rockets are 16-6. Their 10.3 Net Rating ranks second in the entire NBA:

So why does it feel like it's been a bit disappointing?

Well, the Rockets' Net Rating may be impressive. It's still 6.1 lower than the Thunder's dominant 16.4 mark. Perhaps that's the problem. The Rockets were supposed to be a viable foil for the Thunder, and as of now, nobody would give them a chance against Oklahoma City in a playoff series:

But nobody's seen the Rockets at full strength either.

Rockets may be better than we think

Both Eason and Finney-Smith are difference makers.

Before Eason went down with an injury, he was averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting a blistering 50.9% from three-point range. Eason's 1.9 Box Plus/Minus (BPM) is a notable drop-off from last year's 3.6 mark, but it's still indicative of a high-level rotation player.

We don't know what Finney-Smith may look like in Rockets red. We do know that the Lakers were +17.1 with Finney-Smith on the floor last year, and the Nets were +15.5. Finney-Smith has a long-standing reputation as a player who impacts winning in any situation.

Luckily, help is on the way. Eason is listed as questionable for Monday's bout with the Nuggets. There doesn't seem to be a timetable for Finney-Smith, but he'll debut this season.

Why would the Rockets make a trade before they see those two in action?

Rockets should stay the course

To reiterate: This team is 16-6 with the league's second-best Net Rating, and they've been without one starting-caliber player for half the season, and another for the entire year.

That's not to say a trade before the deadline should be unthinkable. If the Rockets have their full roster, and they still don't look like they could touch the Thunder, it could be worth considering. The Rockets didn't trade for Kevin Durant only to effectively have a 0% chance of winning a title.

That said, the safer assumption is that an already-strong Rockets team will look stronger. If that holds true, there's no reason to spend assets on anyone. If the Rockets dominate with their pair of wings, they should hang onto their valuable stuff, and keep playing the best basketball they can:

Even if the rumors persist.