Tag: Houston Rockets Trades

Rockets guard Victor Oladipo out for personal reasons

Though Oladipo is expected to be traded by Thursday, reports indicated that Oladipo’s absence on Wednesday was for a different reason.

Less than 24 hours before the trade deadline, veteran guard Victor Oladipo did not play in Wednesday’s home game for the Houston Rockets due to what the team referred to as personal reasons.

“Victor’s not available,” head coach Stephen Silas said in pregame comments leading up to tipoff versus Charlotte. “He has a personal thing going on, and unfortunately, he won’t be playing tonight.”

The timing of the move was curious, since Oladipo’s name has swirled in various rumors ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The two-time All-Star is widely expected to be traded, since he’s in the final year of his contract and the Rockets would rather not risk losing him for no compensation in offseason free agency — particularly given their low placement (12-30) in this season’s standings to date.

However, sources close to the team indicate that the “personal reasons” are unrelated to basketball or the trade deadline.

In 20 games with the Rockets, Oladipo is averaging 21.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is also one of Houston’s top defenders. With Oladipo out, Sterling Brown is likely to start in his place alongside John Wall.

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Report: Rockets likely to trade Victor Oladipo by Thursday

Woj reports that a trade market has developed among capped-out teams, with Houston potentially receiving a young player and draft pick.

The Houston Rockets are likely to deal veteran guard Victor Oladipo before this Thursday’s trade deadline for the 2020-21 season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday afternoon. A two-time All-Star, Oladipo was acquired by Houston in January as part of the blockbuster four-team trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn.

Now 28 years old, Oladipo’s contract expires after this season. Given current NBA standings, the slumping Rockets (12-30) have little incentive to risk him leaving for no compensation in offseason free agency.

Houston (12-30) entered Tuesday with losses in 20 of its last 21 games, which has dramatically reduced the team’s chances at making a playoff push this season. As such, the upside of scenarios where the Rockets retain Oladipo would seem to be greatly diminished.

Teams such as Miami and New York have long been rumored as potential Oladipo suitors, but Woj says they’re “reluctant to offer premium packages,” since they can potentially sign him as a free agent in the offseason. However, Woj reports a trade market for Oladipo has developed among capped-out teams, who could be incentivized to give up more via trade — since they have no other means to acquire Oladipo.

Wojnarowski says the bidding includes a combination of a young player and a future first-round draft pick. “One thing has become clear: Houston is likely moving Oladipo before (the) deadline,” Wojnarowski writes.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1374415695723687937

In 20 games with the Rockets, Oladipo is averaging 21.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is also one of Houston’s top defenders.

Thursday’s trade deadline arrives at 2 p.m. Central time.

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Aaron Gordon reportedly wants to discourage trade to Houston

The Rockets (11-30), who are in the middle of a historic 20-game losing streak, don’t appear to be a desirable destination to Gordon.

Though multiple reports have indicated serious trade talks in recent days between the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic for Aaron Gordon, Yahoo’s Chris Haynes reports a deal may not happen due to Gordon’s preference to be traded to a playoff contender.

The Rockets (11-30) have the NBA’s second-worst record and are on a historic 20-game losing streak, which means they almost assuredly will not be a playoff team in 2021. According to Haynes, that dynamic isn’t desirable to the 25-year-old Gordon:

Houston Rockets players were under the impression a few days ago that a trade for Gordon was close to being finalized and a last-minute hiccup killed the deal, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Gordon has no desire to be traded to a team in a rebuild and is only interested in joining a team that has the potential to make a playoff run, sources said.

One key party with knowledge of the talks disputed that it nearly reached the point of completion. It would have likely involved Victor Oladipo. However, any team that seeks a trade for the Orlando Magic versatile forward would prefer to have some assurances that Gordon would agree to an extension, sources said.

This could decrease the trade options for Orlando. Gordon, 25, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

Because Gordon is under contract for both this season and next season, Houston general manager Rafael Stone could still trade for him, regardless of any preference. That said, if the 6-foot-8 forward makes it clear he doesn’t want to stay beyond 2022, that could make it less likely Stone would surrender the package of assets (reportedly at least two future first-round draft picks) the Magic are seeking.

An uber-athletic frontcourt piece with a penchant for playmaking, Gordon is averaging 14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 29.0 minutes this season, and he’s shooting a career-high 40.2% on 3-pointers. With Thursday’s trade deadline almost here, final resolution should come soon.

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Report: Rockets, Magic have held significant Aaron Gordon trade talks

“The Rockets and Magic have engaged in talks on a Gordon deal to Houston for two first-round draft picks,” Shams Charania writes.

The Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic have had significant talks about a trade involving 6-foot-8 forward Aaron Gordon, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. This season’s trade deadline is Thursday, March 25.

For Houston, Gordon would start next to Christian Wood, who is the same age, in a young and uber-athletic frontcourt. The 25-year-old is averaging 14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 29.0 minutes this season, and he’s shooting a career-high 40.2% on 3-pointers.

Regarding Gordon and the Rockets, Charania writes:

As far as the Gordon market, the Rockets and Magic have engaged in talks on a Gordon deal to Houston for two first-round draft picks, sources have told The Athletic. No deal is imminent on this front as of this writing, but there have been significant talks.

The Rockets need to send out close to Gordon’s $18.1-million salary to make a deal work financially. That could be done by sending out Victor Oladipo ($21.0 million), who is believed to be a strong candidate to be traded. If not Oladipo, Houston could also send out the expiring contract of Dante Exum ($9.6 million), along with other, smaller salaries.

Per Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Gordon has officially asked the Magic to be traded. With his current contract expiring after next season, that could incentivize the Magic to act soon, since waiting to trade Gordon until the final year of his deal could reduce the offers they receive.

For the Rockets, whether a trade gets done likely comes down to whether Orlando would settle for a pair of less-desirable first round picks, as well as how that offer stacks up relative to those from other teams.

Though Houston has 14 first-round picks over the next seven years, the second-most in the NBA, they’re 11-30 and on an historic 20-game losing streak. While Gordon is certainly a good player, he’s not the superstar caliber player that would transform a franchise by his arrival. There’s also some risk that Gordon could leave after the 2021-22 season, since that’s when his contract expires, and Houston might be in a rebuilding phase. For a veteran free agent in the prime of his career, that environment often isn’t attractive.

Thus, it’s unlikely that Rockets general manager Rafael Stone would give Orlando a first-rounder that might bring in a superstar, such as Houston’s own pick in 2021. That logic may also apply to Houston’s picks in 2022 and 2023, which currently have no pick-swap rights attached to them.

The Rockets have several owed first-round picks from other teams (Portland, Detroit, Washington, Milwaukee, Brooklyn) that are unlikely to bring in a superstar, either through the strength of that team or draft order protections that are tied to that pick being conveyed. They could also offer one of their own picks, but with similar protections to make it likely that they retain the pick, if it’s within a typical superstar range.

But how would that type of offer stack up relative to bids for Gordon by other teams, and is it enough to satisfy Orlando? With the trade deadline three days away, we will not have to wait long to find out.

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Rockets thank PJ Tucker with video as trade becomes official

Houston officially acquired D.J. Wilson, DJ Augustin, and a handful of draft assets from Milwaukee as part of the transaction.

Moments after the trade agreement between Houston and Milwaukee became official, the Rockets published a new video on Friday to thank PJ Tucker for his contributions over four seasons with the franchise.

The Bucks are sending young big man D.J. Wilson and veteran point guard DJ Augustin to the Rockets in exchange for Tucker and Rodions Kurucs. The teams are also exchanging draft assets in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with Houston getting more value as part of a complex series of swaps.

Tucker, a longtime defensive stalwart for the Rockets, is in the final year of his contract and recently requested a trade after he wasn’t able to come to terms with the team on his desired contract extension. The Bucks will also offer the 35-year-old a chance to compete for his first NBA title, which Tucker couldn’t realistically do with the Rockets following the departure of superstar guard James Harden in January.

In addition to his defense, Tucker was a clear leader in Houston’s locker room and one of the league’s toughest players. Over his time with the Rockets, Tucker played in the most games of any NBA player. Houston also won at least one playoff series in each of Tucker’s years with the team, which no other Western Conference team did over that span.

During Tucker’s first season with the team, Houston went 65-17 — easily the NBA’s best mark that season and the top record in team history. While the Rockets never won a championship in his era, it remains one of the most successful runs of all-time for the franchise.

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Report: Rockets hope to trade future draft assets for ‘foundation piece’

While the Rockets have collected numerous draft assets for future years, they may not end up making many of those picks.

With the PJ Tucker trade agreement, the Houston Rockets are further adding to their stockpile of first-round draft capital over the next seven NBA seasons. But that doesn’t mean that they will make all those picks.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, general manager Rafael Stone is hopeful of eventually packaging some of those draft assets in a trade for more immediate help. Feigen writes:

The Rockets made the move, trading players — Tucker and Rodions Kurucs — that were not playing for them, to improve their collection of draft assets. But the Rockets are not trying to pile up picks in the hopes of improving their chances to find a future star somewhere in the draft.

They remain very willing, according to an individual with knowledge of the team’s thinking, to trade picks for a player they could consider a foundation piece, the sort of move they would even be willing to make even in a largely lost season.

https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/1372734574313226246

In many ways, it’s a similar template to when former general manager Daryl Morey slowly improved his asset stockpile before trading for James Harden in October 2012. As was the case with Harden then, the Rockets would have to convince such a player of wanting to stay with Houston long-term, in order for it to be worth giving up those draft assets.

That type of transaction doesn’t seem likely before this season’s March 25 trade deadline, largely because a potential star of that caliber isn’t believed to be on the market. But whenever the next disgruntled star becomes available — be it in the next week, the upcoming offseason, or beyond — Stone has the Rockets in a better position to pounce.

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Rockets agree to trade PJ Tucker to Bucks for DJ Wilson, DJ Augustin, draft assets

Houston is taking in Wilson, Augustin, and Milwaukee’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, along with an exchange of 2022 and 2023 picks.

The Houston Rockets agreed to trade PJ Tucker and Rodions Kurucs to the Milwaukee Bucks for forward DJ Wilson, guard DJ Augustin, and a vast array of draft considerations over the next three seasons.

Tucker, a longtime defensive stalwart for the Rockets, is in the final year of his contract and recently requested a trade after he wasn’t able to come to terms with the team on his desired contract extension. The Bucks will also offer the 35-year-old a chance to compete for his first NBA title, which Tucker couldn’t realistically do in Houston following the departure of superstar guard James Harden in January.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, here’s what the Rockets are trading and receiving in exchange for a package headlined by Tucker:

Houston gets: DJ Augustin, DJ Wilson, Milwaukee’s lightly protected first-round draft pick in 2021, Milwaukee’s unprotected first-round draft pick in 2023

Milwaukee gets: PJ Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, Houston’s second-round draft pick in 2021, Milwaukee’s first-round draft pick in 2022 [which Houston had owned]

From a draft perspective, Houston is effectively bumping up its second-round pick in the 2021 draft to Milwaukee’s first-round position. The swap is protected if Milwaukee is in the top nine, but at 25-14, that is incredibly unlikely to happen — since the Bucks are currently No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, with over half the season already gone.

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The Rockets are also swapping Milwaukee’s 2022 first-round pick for one in 2023, which is unprotected. With the Bucks led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the foreseeable future, general manager Rafael Stone likely wanted to push back that pick, since the delay allows more time for Milwaukee’s outlook to potentially worsen. There’s also the possibility that the 2023 draft might be stronger, since that could be the year that high schoolers are once again deemed draft-eligible.

As for the players Houston picked up, Augustin is a 33-year-old point guard who is under contract for approximately $7 million per year through the 2022-23 season. He’s averaging 6.1 points and 3.0 assists in 19.0 minutes per game this season, and at 38.0% on 3-pointers, he becomes Houston’s third-ranked shooter after Christian Wood and Sterling Brown. Augustin played college basketball at the University of Texas, which should make the transition to Houston an easy one for him.

While there isn’t a clear path to minutes for Augustin, since the Rockets have John Wall and Kevin Porter Jr. at point guard, Wall is currently out injured — and reports have indicated that he could undergo a knee scope later this season. That could provide Augustin with an opportunity.

The 5-foot-11 guard could also be traded again before the March 25 deadline, since the rebuilding Rockets (11-27) aren’t prioritizing veterans at the moment. However, since Augustin’s contract can’t be aggregated with others for 60 days following this deal, it would appear more likely for him to become a trade candidate in the offseason.

As for Wilson, he’s an athletic 6-foot-10 forward who is currently averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game. A first-round pick in the 2017 draft, the 25-year-old is in his fourth NBA season and is likely to enter restricted free agency this offseason.

Since the Rockets don’t have much in the way of proven production behind Christian Wood at center, Wilson could get an opportunity late in the 2020-21 season to showcase his value after being buried on the Milwaukee bench for much of his tenure there.

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Report: Rockets hope to turn Victor Oladipo trade return into Aaron Gordon

Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Rockets would like to take whatever assets they get for Victor Oladipo and turn those into Gordon.

When news recently leaked of interest by the Rockets in trading for Orlando forward Aaron Gordon, immediate speculation on the deal centered on Houston’s treasure trove of future first-round draft picks — and which could be made available by general manager Rafael Stone.

However, there might be a way that Houston could acquire Gordon from the Magic before the NBA’s upcoming March 25 trade deadline without giving up much, if any, of that draft capital.

Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Rockets would like to take whatever assets they get for trading Victor Oladipo and turn those into Gordon. It would be a similar template to when they flipped Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert to Indiana as an offshoot of the blockbuster James Harden trade, which is how Houston ended up with Oladipo in the first place.

Since Orlando (13-26) has lost eight straight games and clearly isn’t a contender this season, it’s doubtful that they would have interest in Oladipo, themselves. However, in a trade arrangement with three or more teams, they could potentially have interest in whatever assets the Rockets land from another team for Oladipo. Fischer explains:

Some lead members of New Orleans’ front office are also quite high on Gordon, sources said, but it’s Houston that appears particularly motivated to land him. In several conversations before the Rockets moved Harden, sources said Houston asked interested teams to engage Orlando as a means for the Rockets to ultimately net Gordon, similar to how they ended up acquiring Victor Oladipo.

That same line of thinking now seems to be taking place in Houston’s early talks gauging Oladipo’s own trade value. “Whatever happens with this Oladipo situation, they want to turn into Aaron Gordon,” one person with knowledge of the situation said.

The Rockets (11-26) entered Monday in a major slump, having lost 16 straight games, which has diminished any chance of a playoff run this season. Thus, the incentive to keep Oladipo — who is on an expiring contract — and risk him leaving for no compensation in offseason free agency appears to be far less than earlier in the season, since the team’s record inherently makes the 2020-21 season less of a priority.

Gordon, on the other hand, is three years younger (25) than Oladipo, and he’s also under contract for 2021-22. Thus, he appears to be a better fit for Houston’s current situation. While the athletic 6-foot-8 forward missed several weeks this season with a severely sprained left ankle, he did resume playing for the Magic out of the recent All-Star break.

For Houston, Gordon would start next to Christian Wood —  who happens to be the same age — in a young and uber-athletic frontcourt. Gordon is averaging 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 28.3 minutes this season, and he’s shooting a career-high 36.5% on 3-pointers.

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Report: Rockets hope to turn Victor Oladipo trade return into Aaron Gordon

Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Rockets would like to take whatever assets they get for Victor Oladipo and turn those into Gordon.

When news recently leaked of interest by the Rockets in trading for Orlando forward Aaron Gordon, immediate speculation on the deal centered on Houston’s treasure trove of future first-round draft picks — and which could be made available by general manager Rafael Stone.

However, there might be a way Houston could acquire Gordon from the Magic before the NBA’s upcoming March 25 trade deadline without giving up much, if any, of that draft capital.

Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Rockets would like to take whatever assets they get for trading Victor Oladipo and turn those into Gordon. It would be a similar template to when they flipped Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert to Indiana as an offshoot of the blockbuster James Harden trade, which is how Houston ended up with Oladipo in the first place.

Since Orlando (13-26) has lost eight straight games and clearly isn’t a contender this season, it’s doubtful they would have interest in Oladipo, themselves. However, in a trade arrangement with three or more teams, they could potentially have interest in whatever assets the Rockets land from another team for Oladipo. Fischer explains:

Some lead members of New Orleans’ front office are also quite high on Gordon, sources said, but it’s Houston that appears particularly motivated to land him. In several conversations before the Rockets moved Harden, sources said Houston asked interested teams to engage Orlando as a means for the Rockets to ultimately net Gordon, similar to how they ended up acquiring Victor Oladipo.

That same line of thinking now seems to be taking place in Houston’s early talks gauging Oladipo’s own trade value. “Whatever happens with this Oladipo situation, they want to turn into Aaron Gordon,” one person with knowledge of the situation said.

The Rockets (11-26) entered Monday in a major slump, having lost 16 straight games, which has diminished any chance of a playoff run this season. Thus, the incentive to keep Oladipo — who is on an expiring contract — and risk him leaving for no compensation in offseason free agency appears to be far less than earlier in the season, since the team’s record inherently makes the 2020-21 season less of a priority.

Gordon, on the other hand, is three years younger (25) than Oladipo, and he’s also under contract for 2021-22. Thus, he appears to be a better fit for Houston’s current situation. While the athletic 6-foot-8 forward missed several weeks this season with a severely sprained left ankle, he resumed playing for the Magic after the recent All-Star break.

For Houston, Gordon would start next to Christian Wood —  who happens to be the same age — in a young and uber-athletic frontcourt. Gordon is averaging 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 28.3 minutes this season, and he’s shooting a career-high 36.5% on 3-pointers.

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Rockets consider Christian Wood their only ‘untouchable’ in trade talks

Not only is Wood the best player on the Rockets, but he’s also one of the youngest among rotation players. That makes him quite valuable.

Not only is Christian Wood the best player on the Houston Rockets, but at 25 years old, he’s also one of the youngest among rotation players.

Understandably, that makes him extremely valuable to general manager Rafael Stone — both for this season and well beyond. (Wood is currently under contract through the 2022-23 season.)

As a result, Wood is considered Houston’s only “untouchable” player in trade talks leading up to this season’s March 25 deadline, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. In his story, Scotto elaborates:

Several executives around the league who spoke with HoopsHype believe Rockets guard Victor Oladipo could be the biggest name moved by the trade deadline. He’s been linked to the Knicks and Heat most notably.

With Oladipo approaching 29 and nearing unrestricted free agency this summer, he’s not a fit for Houston’s rebuilding plan. Upon arriving in Houston, Oladipo said, “Essentially, it’s like a business plan. You’ve got to go through every aspect of the business plan before you kind of figure out if you want to invest in it.”

Those executives who’ve spoken to the Rockets say Christian Wood is the only player on the Rockets that’s as close to untouchable as possible.

Wood is averaging 22.0 points and 10.2 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game during the 2020-21 season. In a breakout year that has earned the 6-foot-10 big man consideration for both the All-Star Game and Olympics, he’s shooting 55.8% overall and 42.1% on 3-pointers.

But Wood has missed the last 14 games with a sprained right ankle, and Houston (11-25) is winless over that period. As a result, with the 2021 playoffs becoming increasingly unrealistic, the organization appears to be shifting its focus to future seasons. That’s especially the case with veterans on expiring contracts like Oladipo, PJ Tucker, Sterling Brown, and Ben McLemore, since they can potentially leave the Rockets for no compensation in offseason free agency. Thus, with 2020-21 becoming less of a priority, there’s little reason for the team to take that risk.

Even beyond players on expiring contracts, though, Houston would likely consider any proposal that potentially improves its outlook for future seasons. Wood is the lone exception, based on his combination of age, production, and contract — which fits with the Rockets for years to come.

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