The Houston Rockets are showing that they are serious about becoming a force in the Western Conference. The Rockets pulled off the biggest deal of the off season so far on Wednesday, when they landed a deal to bring in Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, the Clippers obtained Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Sam Dekker and a 2018 first-round selection.
Whew! That is a lot to give up in one deal, but the Rockets are thinking NBA title or bust, which is making the NBA trade rumor mill kick into high gear.
Chris Paul just the first move?
Adding Paul to a lineup with James Harden makes the Rockets a legit threat in the West, however, current reports are indicating that Houston is far from done. Marc Stein of ESPN reported that the Rockets have had their sights set on several key players including Paul, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, and Kyle Lowry. Now that they have landed Paul, could they have an inside track on Paul’s former teammate Blake Griffin?
That could be very possible, but the Rockets are reportedly interested in dealing for the highly sought after Paul George. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted that Houston General Manager Daryl Morey has had a vision of adding both Chris Paul and Paul George to the Rockets 2017 roster. So far step one is accomplished. If Houston lands George somehow, the Warriors will have a new team to worry about.
George is still under contract with the Indiana Pacers, but he has let it be known in no uncertain terms that he wants out. If George is not dealt during the 2017-18 season, the chances of him staying in Indiana are slim to none, which makes a trade to Houston a definite possibility.
Carmelo Anthony also on Rockets radar?
Could the Rockets also be looking to bring Carmelo Anthony aboard this fall? If Houston did go after Anthony, it may only happen if Melo is released from his current deal with the New York Knicks. It would seem likely that Houston would not trade for Anthony unless the trade involved Ryan Anderson. It was already rumored that Houston was trying to deal away Anderson to make room for Chris Paul. Now that the Rockets have already traded for Paul, they may hold on to Anderson, for now anyways.
The one downfall the Rockets need to watch out for is getting too many big names that eat up half of the salary cap. Anderson has over $60 million tied up on the Rockets' salary cap over the next three seasons ($19 million this season, $20 million in 2018 and $21 million in 2019) before he officially would become a free agent in 2020. If the Rockets were to set their sights on Paul George or Carmelo Anthony, getting rid of Ryan Anderson would almost be a must.