This is stupid. We’re not trading KD. We just need a couple of floor generals who don’t turn the ball over. The turnovers was the reason why we were not a 60 win team as well as a first round exit.
Dickerson can shoot and shoot efficiently. At the risk of repeating the opinion, it's not about win now, it's data that with a bona-fide top 15 player in KD, the offense is still flawed when defenders sag off of Amen and Sengun. So even if down the road you swap out KD for a JBrown, or a Mitchell, or a hypothetical Cooper Flagg, the problem remains. The young core and the coaching have to get better. And if the young core doesn't take a big leap, I still like them enough to be kept on the team so long as they are not overpaid, and it's ok for guys to come off the bench. Without the big contract, you can bench guys when situations dictates it. Spurs still kept Keldon and Vassell around despite no longer being their #1 and #2 (from their tank era). What I'm afraid of is, say if KD is gone. Then when the team still underperform, built in excuse will be raised like, well it's not anyone (coach/GM/young core)'s fault because we don't have a superstar. No you have a star right now and we see the team is still lacking.
and those couple of floor generals are so easy to find that Fred is the only one we’ve had in 6 seasons (and we’ve had to overpay for that). The same Fred who can’t reasonably be counted on coming off injury at his age. I agree that getting a couple good floor generals could help solidly this team as a top 3 team in the west. But I’m not sure any are available and I’m not sure that’s good enough to truly contend because at the end of the day a 38 yr old is still your best player. I don’t think it’s reasonable to assume KD stays healthy or plays as many minutes as last season. But I generally agree that a couple of floor generals would be the most important thing for lifting our floor.
Left leg needs medical attention, let's amputate the working right leg. Team lacks shooting, and we're getting rid of a shooter. Booker's stats fell last season after KD left, and some Suns fans are grumbling at the drop in stats with that new enormous contract. When one of the offensive threat is gone, other team's defense hone in on your remaining threat. Sengun's life will be miserable opp's defense only hone in on him. KD is one of the few release valves we do have. Ime really needs to emphasized some of the two man game between Sengun and Reed & Sengun and KD.
KD can hoop but its obvious until they rebuild there bench, you have KD, eating up salary. You have Fred Eating up salary. KD Prime is gone...... Your not winning anything with these guys. You probably just package KD, Fred, Adams, DFS, and Capela in trades, for picks for young guys that are looking to have better roles on a team up coming like the Rockets team. You could have a excellant bench, when Amen and Sengun rest, to the point where you would not need vets anymore. You could always find Good vets with cheaper alternatives, Younger Vets, your over paying for old has beens who are eating all your salary to even have a bench lol.. Rockets have 3-4 years until there rebuild players all in there prime years 26-32?, you either role on your rebuild or blow it up. But no i just let KD go, just straight ball hog that lagging this team if you ask me.
I can imagine several teams would give us something solid for KD A few possibilities off the top of my head: - KD to the Heat for Wiggins and pick 13 (or future picks) - with Heat maybe getting Giannis, I could definitely see this one so they can have all of Bam, KD, and Giannis - KD to the Hornets for pick 14, Grant Williams, Josh Green, and Tre Mann - this one is just about the picks, but the bench depth would be nice - KD to Dallas - Maybe we cancel the swap they owe us and get pick 9, or maybe they keep pick 9 and we grab Max Christie and some other role players like PJ Washington I have a few others in mind (minny, detroit) but these are my favorite 3 that I think are plausible.
I don’t think the pro-keeping-KD argument requires believing the Rockets are already a true contender. To me, the better argument is that trading KD only makes sense if the return actually improves the franchise’s title odds, not just because “assets” sound better in theory. A future pick or young prospect obtained for KD will bust and probably does not help Houston long term more than KD helps over the next two seasons. Maybe it becomes something, but odds are it either misses, takes years to matter, or becomes another rotation-level player who never gets the Rockets as good as they are now. KD, even at this age, still gives the Rockets something they otherwise do not have: elite shot-making, spacing, late-clock offense, and a cleaner environment to evaluate Amen, Sengun, Reed, Jabari, etc. That last part matters. If Amen is going to break out, or if Sengun can be a real playoff offensive hub, having KD on the floor makes that easier to judge. Without KD, defenses can load up, spacing gets worse, the young guys are asked to solve problems they may not be ready for, and then you risk making bad long-term conclusions from a worse developmental context. Even with KD, there were plenty of times the Rockets did not have enough shooting to evaluate Amen, Reed, and Sengun. I agree the most likely outcome is still not a title. But I don’t see trading KD for a pick as meaningfully increasing title odds unless the return is a real premium asset. Otherwise you’re just getting worse now for a vague future benefit that likely offers no actual help. The best case for keeping him is simple: you give Amen/Sengun/Reed another year or two to show whether one of them can jump a tier, while keeping the door open for a bigger star trade. If that fails, then you break it up. But moving KD now for a mediocre asset package feels like choosing theoretical flexibility out of frustration over last season, even though that flexibility probably does not help as much as an actual high-level player who improves the current team and helps evaluate the young core. The most likely scenario is that the Rockets do not win a title in the Amen/Reed/Sengun era. Trading KD or not is not likely to change that.
This is the harder question because of the amount of KD's salary, and whether the Rockets are willing to take on other contracts - possibly longer than KD's if they are offered the right compensation. This is just my speculation, but I would look at these teams: Cleveland Detroit Philadelphia Miami Timberwolves Lakers I actually would list Portland as a strong dark horse with their new owner, and wouldn't completely rule out OKC. Now many of these teams have obstacles to getting KD - but if KD wants to leave and the Rockets are flexible, they can move KD.... I don't think they get back the #10 pick like they gave for him, but I could see them getting a couple top 3-5 protected picks from a team that is likely very good or maybe a #1 and a swap.
It would be part of a wider effort to accumulate draft assets. I wouldn't trade KD for the #20 pick in this draft, but I would trade him for a future #1 with no protections or very limited protections. Likewise I would deal him for a couple pick swaps. At this point, the Rockets need as many assets as possible to try and get an elite player, and the best bet is to find one in the lottery.
I think we should trade him but only because I'd rather see the young players succeed or fail on their own, its the only way you're going to find your true franchise player. With that said, the reason to keep him is simple. He gets buckets. He's one of the best scorers to ever play, so he gets you closer to a championship if you surround him with the right players. That's obviously not the case right now but with the right moves it could.
I don't see KD moving the needle in getting assets to try and get an elite player. KD is not getting the Rockets a lottery pick. I don't see KD getting the Rockets a FRP that is unprotected, that would increase the number of picks the Rockets could offer for a star. As such, trading KD is likely to be a Josh Christopher-type move. I just don't see that type of return being enough to give up, and not actually try to rebuild the team. if the Rockets want to try and get an elite player, the best bet involves moves like trading Amen, Sengun, or Reed. If yuo want trading KD to be a part of a wider effort, make a wider effort. If the Rockets decide to rebuild, sure KD should be traded. The most rabid pro-trade KD fans are against actually doing something meaningful. Aruba, for instance, wants to spend resources for a floor general, which likely helps less than Durant does now and costs significantly more resources than the Rockets can get (he probably does not agree with that charcterization, but that is how I see achieving his idealistic goals). The Rockets's young players are about to get expensive very quick. Getting guys in their primes now who will be past their primes when the young Rockets are in their primes doesn't help. Trading KD to improve long term odds without making real changes reminds me of this scene from Charlie Wilson's War after Charlie Wilson doubles the budget to figt the Russian Army Gust Avrakotos: "It's from the Afghan desk for doubling the budget for the Mujahadeen." Charlie Wilson: "Well, thank you." Gust Avrakotos: "No, doubling the budget was nothing. Ten million dollars for covert ops against the Russian army is meaningless. What are you, an infant?" Personally, I'd keep the chances that something goes really great in the Rockets' favor happens, but understand that Rockets are likely headed to a rebuild or the treadmill of mediocrity. I'm only against trading KD if the Rockets decide not to rebuild.
These are wonderful Jabari Smith Jr trades. Keep them coming and I’ll just swap out KD for Jabari/DFS/2 second round picks.
What is this logic? The most likely scenario for 27 or 28 teams is that they do not win a championship over the next ten years. So should they all give up on making transactions that improve their future incrementally? Is this a Mat Ishbia burner account?
