Ime Udoka’s first season as head coach of the Houston Rockets ended with a 41-41 record, which wasn’t quite good enough to clinch a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Yet, Udoka’s second season in Houston is off to a much better start at 10-5, placing them fourth in the West.
Houston’s roster is brimming with talent, and now we’re finally starting to see some of their potential deliver positive results. But now some are wondering if the Rockets have a bigger move up their sleeves.
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Houston Rockets blockbuster trade likely won’t happen until the summer
Already having been linked to a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, the Houston Rockets are generating a lot of discussion around the NBA. While the Bucks likely aren’t eager to trade their best player, that doesn’t mean there aren’t several other big names Houston could pursue ahead of this year’s NBA trade deadline. However, there’s some belief that the Rockets won’t pull the trigger on a blockbuster, at least not yet.
“The extensions they did with Şengün and Jalen Green (in particular) I think makes a big splash more likely to be a summer discussion than pre-deadline discussion.”
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Houston Rockets
Later, on the same Hoop Collective podcast, NBA insider Brian Windhorst noted that the Rockets are making youngsters Tari Eason and Amen Thompson “untouchable” in any and all trade discussions. Thompson was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Meanwhile, Eason was selected 17th in 2022.
Neither of those players individually would net a massive trade haul, but the Rockets have several others that could be packaged for a star talent. Yet, as MacMahon indicates, such a trade may not happen any time soon.
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