The Houston Rockets will play the rest of the season with the same roster after the NBA trade deadline passed. The Rockets are currently three games below.500, primarily due to injuries.
Of course, some of this would be mitigated if the team had a true superstar who could lead the team through injuries, but they haven’t exactly found or acquired one yet.
Still.
Rafael Stone, the general manager of the Rockets, is trying to remedy that this offseason because it will usually be hard to finish in the top six in the West without a closer and the team’s mainstay.
Let’s examine a few possibilities that the Rockets have this summer.
10 superstars that could be options for the Rockets this summer
Honorable Mention: Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges isn’t very well-known. Now let’s get that resolved.
Yet, he can score 21 points, shoot about 38 percent from long range, and shut down the opposition’s wings defensively.
Stated differently. The definition of a 3-and-D player is him.
He was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year not so long ago. At the deadline, the Rockets and Nets had a brief conversation about a trade; however, Nets general manager Sean Marks refused to deal Bridges, not even in exchange for the Nets’ leftover unclaimed draft picks from the 2021 James Harden trade.
It won’t be long before Marks realizes that Bridges alone won’t be sufficient for Brooklyn to contend for a postseason berth. particularly with Ben Simmons in this particular iteration of the team.
1. Trae Young
Since James Harden was traded in 2021, the Rockets have been searching for his replacement. Though it was always a pipe dream, they hoped Kevin Porter Jr. would be able to fill that hole.
Since the move, the Rockets have not had a player as match as Trae Young.
Young players are expected to be busy this summer as rumors about the Atlanta Hawks wanting to make Dejounte Murray their franchise player are starting to circulate. Young, 25, averages 26.7 points, 10.9 assists, 37.1 percent from beyond the arc, 42.7 percent from the field, and 58.3 percent on true shots.
Like the Rockets’ version of James Harden, he has a knack for getting to the line. He averages eight free throw attempts per game and makes 85.8 percent of them. Young is a heliocentric player who can get open shots for his teammates and create gravity.
In addition, he has a skill that the Rockets don’t currently have on their roster: a bucket in winning time.
2. Zion Williamson
There were reports during the previous offseason indicating the Rockets were considering a trade for New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. The Rockets community took notice of this as Williamson hasn’t exactly shown that he can remain healthy.
Since joining the league, Williamson’s conditioning problems have kept him from participating for a full season. According to reports, the Pels were willing to trade him this past offseason, but New Orleans was unable to acquire the best possible deal for the 23-year-old due to his injuries.
After his comeback in 2023–24, when he averaged 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 58.5 percent from the field, the Pelicans’ brass will be even more likely to trade him. Furthermore, Williamson has participated in 44 of the 55 games for the Pels, allaying some worries about his lack of floor presence.
Without Williamson, the Pels have been successful, as David Griffin has undoubtedly observed. If the Rockets are still interested at that point in time, Williamson will undoubtedly be available this summer.
So much so that when Williamson extended his contract, the front office in New Orleans added a weight restriction.
3. Paul George
After their early difficulties following the James Harden deal, the LA Clippers have had quite the comeback recently. Their future prospects are not great, though, as owner Steve Ballmer is expected to offer Harden a new contract and Kawhi Leonard signed a $152 million agreement.
Paul George might then find himself on the outside looking in. The LA Clippers forward was allegedly a target for the Rockets during the previous offseason. Should he choose to reject his player option in the summer, which he most likely will, the team may mount a full-court pursuit.
4. Brandon Ingram
After Brandon Ingram was traded to the Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis being acquired by the Lakers, he shot to fame. Over the past few seasons, Ingram has become more of a facilitator, averaging at least 20 points per game and 5.8 assists per game in the last two seasons.
This summer, the Pelicans will need to decide whether to pursue Zion Williamson or Ingram. Additionally, Ingram will be a viable option for the Rockets if they choose to build around Williamson.
5. Karl Anthony-Towns
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ leadership has changed over the past few years; Anthony Edwards has replaced Karl Anthony-Towns as the team’s franchise player.
Not Towns, but Edwards will lead the Wolves as far as they can go. which might lead the Wolves to deal Towns so they can avoid having to pay his eventual $221 million extension.
6. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler has been the target of numerous shots from the Rockets. Butler had two major life changes: one in the 2019 summer when he abruptly changed his mind and signed with the Miami Heat, leaving the Rockets hanging at the altar; the other in the 2018–19 season when the then-Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau refused to deal him to the Rockets.
The Rockets even orchestrated trades to free up budget space so they could offer Butler a max contract because they believed they had an agreement in place with the greater Houston native.
Could it be that the third time is lucky?
Before 2025–2026, Butler has one year remaining on his contract, after which he has a player option. It’s not out of the question that Pat Riley would trade Butler in an effort to improve the Heat’s chances of winning a championship by acquiring younger players and/or other assets.
They’ve made it to the Big Stage with Butler on several occasions, but they’ve yet to successfully hoist another flag. In the event that this occurs, the Rockets would need to consider if they would still want the 34-year-old, who would be starting his 14th season and has a lot of miles left on his tires.
However, based on the asking price, this kind of bargain might be justified.
7. Donovan Mitchell
The Rockets got everything they wanted in Donovan Mitchell when they traded for Jalen Green. Actually, both guys are three-level scorers who are smaller guard archetypes.
Mitchell is clearly a class above Green with his real 3-point shooting (36.1 percent this season and 36.5 percent for his career) and playmaking ability (he’s averaged a career-high 6.3 assists this season). Whether Green ever develops into the kind of player that Mitchell is is still to be seen.
Since the start of the previous season, Mitchell has averaged 28 points per game, which only seven players (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid) can say they have accomplished. It’s risky to think that Green will change into Spida’s exact opposite.
Mitchell’s contract contains one more guaranteed year because of a player option that he will most likely not exercise in the 2025–2026 season. The Cavs may have to trade Mitchell this summer in order to give the Rockets a chance to get their long-coveted closer if they don’t anticipate he will sign an extension in 2025.
8. Luka Doncic
To placate Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have taken every action conceivable. And with good reason—a young superstar of his caliber might be almost hard to replace.
In an attempt to appease him, they have let go of executives and fired coaches. In an effort to locate Doncic a stronger running partner, they have also switched their co-stars. After trading for Kristaps Porzingis, they quickly traded him and brought in Kyrie Irving.
Due to injury, the Irving-Doncic combination has only played 44 games together overall and missed the play-in tournament the previous season. They are just 23–21 in those games.
Doncic has stated unequivocally that he wants to succeed and challenge for titles. The Mavs are currently regarded as a lowly danger to even win the Western Conference, something Doncic has never accomplished. They are currently ranked seventh in the Western Conference for 2023–2024.
The Rockets were in a similar predicament to the Mavericks when James Harden was on the team. like uncannily alike.
We also discovered that Harden could not be stopped once he was prepared to run.
If the Mavericks are eliminated early in the playoffs, they may suffer the same fate.
9. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid’s best years are behind the Philadelphia 76ers, who have failed to reach the Promised Land. A portion of that can be attributed to the Sixers’ management team’s incessant switching of co-stars. For example, veteran Rockets general manager Daryl Morey once forced Ben Simmons to leave town in favor of James Harden, only to force Harden to leave town again.
Tyrese Maxey has become well-known, but given Embiid’s remarks from the summer, it might be too little, too late.
The Rockets have apparently been monitoring Embiid’s circumstances, and given that Udoka attended Embiid’s most recent wedding, his friendship/connection with Rockets coach Ime Udoka would seem to offer the Rockets a huge advantage, should Embiid want a trade.
This summer, the Rockets would have Embiid as a plausible possibility if the Sixers had yet another postseason meltdown. And given their postseason track record, the Rockets may consider Embiid in a few months.
10. Anthony Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers are now unsure of what will happen to LeBron James. The all-time top scorer in the NBA has been sending out cryptic hints for years; last summer, he even made a retirement suggestion.
More rumors have been sparked by James’ refusal to comment on his player option. It’s possible that James will truly depart the Lakers this summer, though it would be shocking.
It’s not implausible to imagine that the Lakers would disassemble and start over if James goes. Given their key picks and the Brooklyn Nets, the Rockets would be a factor in this scenario where the Lakers decide to deal Anthony Davis in order to recover some draft money.
Although Davis is far more complete and can average 25 points per game, he would provide the Rockets with the defensive-minded big man they have been looking for since trading Clint Capela in 2019–20.
