In the upcoming 2020-21 season, All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook will be 31 and 32 years old, respectively. Their aging curve has led some around the NBA to wonder whether the Houston Rockets might keep one eye on a potential rebuild in the years ahead.
Per new GM Rafael Stone, that does not seem to be the case.
In a fresh Q&A with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Stone says the Rockets remain “all in” on a championship run, and with a clear emphasis on immediate roster upgrades. Among his comments:
In our situation, lots of people want our players. That’s a great place to be. You have to make sure if you do something, it makes you better. I’m very optimistic the team is going to be very competitive. Whether it is rolling out the same guys and Steve [Silas] is trying to make tweaks here and there and using mid-level, that’s a way of being very competitive. Maybe there’s a deal or two that can help us. We’re going to be very aggressive. …
We’re still in the win-now more than the develop four or five years from now mode.
When Feigen asked Stone whether the Rockets feel the need to more cautious with future assets and draft picks in 2020, the GM replied:
We’re still all-in. Our goal is to win a championship. We’ll do anything we can to get us closer to that goal.
New #Rockets at #TXSN – Q&A with Rockets’ new GM: ‘We’re still all-in’ https://t.co/VAAoQxoyzH
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) November 8, 2020
Elsewhere in the Q&A, Stone confirms recent media reports that Houston plans to use its Mid-Level Exception (MLE) — worth $5.7 million last year, at the taxpayer level — and expects to spend into the NBA’s “luxury tax” this season, as determined by total payroll. (They’ve yet to do that when owned by Tilman Fertitta, who bought the team in October 2017.)
New coach Stephen Silas has indicated that he wants to add a center. While using the MLE is one option, Stone also said he is open to trades once the NBA’s moratorium is lifted. “Maybe there’s a deal or two that can help us,” Stone told Feigen. “We’re going to be very aggressive.”
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The Rockets haven’t made a first-round draft selection since 2015, having generally used each year’s pick as trade currency to acquire a veteran to help boost the short-term championship odds of the Harden-led roster. Given Stone’s “all-in” emphasis and with both former MVPs under contract through at least the 2021-22 season, it would seem that next year’s pick could again be used as an asset to sweeten the pot in potential deals. That’s if the right trade target were to come available, of course.
With a total payroll well above the NBA’s salary cap, the Rockets have to send out close to as much money in trades as they take in. In theory, Houston could package a salaried rotation player (or more) with draft compensation as sweetener, in exchange for a perceived upgrade.
Stone also did not rule out trading into the 2020 draft, noting that he believes there are some rookie prospects who “can play right away.” However, that could potentially take place with the Rockets buying a pick, rather than trading away any asset of significance. (Houston still has most of its cash allotment available to use in trades during the 2019-20 league year, which will not conclude until after the Nov. 18 draft.)
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The NBA’s moratorium on trades is expected to be lifted later this month, just ahead of the Nov. 18 draft. From there, free agency is expected to begin within only a few days of the draft, since training camps for the 2020-21 season will open on Dec. 1. As usual, the Rockets should be quite active, even with a new GM in Stone now running the show.
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