With the PJ Tucker trade agreement, the Houston Rockets are further increasing their inventory of starting capital of the first round in the next seven seasons of the NBA. But that does not mean that they will make all of those choices.
Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, general manager Rafael Stone is hoping to eventually package some of these interim assets in a negotiation for more immediate help. Feigen writes:
The Rockets made the move, switching players – Tucker and Rodions Kurucs – who were not playing for them, to improve their collection of draft assets. But the Rockets are not trying to stack picks in hopes of improving their chances of finding a future star somewhere in the draft.
They remain very willing, according to an individual with knowledge of the team’s thinking, to exchange choices for a player that they could consider a base piece, the type of play that they would be willing to make even in a lost season.
New #Rockets at the #TXSN – Rockets continue to add draft choices to give them more trading options https://t.co/xbevd6rpej
– Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 19, 2021
In many ways, it is a model similar to when former general manager Daryl Morey slowly improved his stock of assets 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 in the long run, so that it’s worth giving up these preliminary assets.
This type of transaction does not seem likely before this season’s trading deadline, March 25, largely because a potential star of this caliber is not believed to be on the market. But whenever the next disgruntled star is available – whether next week, the next off-season or after – Stone puts the Rockets in a better position to attack.
The five teams with the biggest capital draft in the next 7 years.https: //t.co/btkePIA8LT pic.twitter.com/dDr1wlLpsu
– Bobby Marks (@ BobbyMarks42) March 4, 2021