The Houston Rockets are soaring above opposition as they sit second in the Western Conference. While they’re still a couple of pieces away from completely becoming favorites to win a championship, their young core is already exciting enough that the front office isn’t eager to make any sudden changes.
However, being confident in the team’s long-term future doesn’t mean the roster isn’t looking for ways to turn their roster into instant contenders. Their neighbor’s excellent piece of business with the Sacramento Kings may have GM Rafael Stone looking for possible players to add to the roster.
While there are various options they can target, a sudden rumor that links them to a trade deadline deal with the Phoenix Suns for Devin Booker offers plenty of intriguing opportunities.
Analyst encourages Rockets to make a move for Phoenix’s Devin Booker
SI’s Chris Maninx broke the news that while Houston isn’t eager to blow up their roster, they’re more than willing to make an exception for Booker:
Houston continues to take a very disciplined approach to this trade deadline. The Rockets, arguably the NBA’s biggest surprise this season, have not expressed any interest in engaging with teams about any of their top young talent. As one exec put it, “Unless you are calling them about Booker, they are not interested.”
It’s not hard to see why they would consider making a move for Booker if an offer was initiated. The 28-year-old shooting guard is playing phenomenal basketball for a mediocre Suns team: he’s averaging 26.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 45.6% FG and 34.5% 3PT.
It’s clear that Phoenix’s Big Three experiment isn’t going as planned. It’s likely that either Durant or Booker would be shipped off in the summer if the front office feels like a change of scenery is necessary.
Booker leaving for Houston is an unlikely scenario, but they have a couple of intriguing pieces they can tempt Phoenix with. Amen Thompson is balling out, and Jalen Green is an intriguing-enough prospect for the Suns to try and build around.
However, it’s more likely that Phoenix will try to shop Durant around in the offseason if they fail to find any great moves in the offseason. If that happens, then Houston would rather stick to their guns and let their young core experience the playoffs themselves.
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