As it turned out, the recent trade of second-round draft assets to Memphis for veteran center Steven Adams was the only February 2024 move for the Houston Rockets. While Adams is a reliable big man who has started for playoff teams over a strong career, the 30-year-old will not be available until next season due to a knee injury.
Despite several rumors going into Thursday’s in-season deadline day for 2023-24 NBA trades, none came to fruition in Houston.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle offers an explanation:
Unable to come up with a deal that satisfied their interest in adding immediate help that also worked with their long-term team building, the Rockets did not agree to any more deals before Thursday’s deadline.
The Rockets were cautious about trades this season because of the emergence of rookies Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson and a determination not to bring in players who would limit their playing time unless that short-term help could also make the roster stronger after Thompson and Whitmore developed.
They were also working with confidence that second-year forward Tari Eason would return from his leg injury, adding to the rotation they have used since the start of January without making a roster move.
In rarity, Rockets don't make a move on NBA trade deadline day https://t.co/2WpdWCBYSx via @houstonchron
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) February 8, 2024
By position, a reliable backup center behind Alperen Sengun was the most clear need, and it wasn’t addressed by trade.
Yet, it’s not as if the Rockets can’t still make an upgrade. Bismack Biyombo is a free agent, and a handful of players traded for salary reasons (such as Robin Lopez) are expected to be bought out of their existing contracts or waived. In such cases, they become free agents and potentially available to a team such as Houston.
Granted, the names available in midseason free agency aren’t nearly as high-profile as some of the rumored trade targets. But, for a young team such as the Rockets (23-27), who are 12th in the Western Conference, it may not have been worth it to pay a premium for a bigger name at this point of their rebuilding cycle.
It’s also worth noting that Houston’s trade candidates who weren’t dealt, including Jae’Sean Tate, Jock Landale and Jeff Green, will be eligible to be traded in May and June, since all have either a team option or nonguaranteed salary obligations for future seasons.
If the Rockets had opted to move one or more of those players for someone on an expiring contract, they would not have the same financial flexibility for this offseason. A player on a multiyear deal could be a viable alternative, but Adams’ presence complicates that fit.
So, for now, general manager Rafael Stone is standing pat.
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