I think everyone not named Amen should be available for trade. Amen is so close to having a reliable mid-range shot. We saw him shoot much better from the mid-range towards the end of the season and playoffs. Just look how much he improved his free throws in one yr. He’s never going to be a point guard. He doesnt have point guard vision or point guard handles. I hope that experiment is over. but he can be an elite 3/4 that can guard every position on the court. Amen is the one guy you hold onto. He has to get that mid-range game solid but he’s on his way. I just don’t feel confident in anyone else to improve enough to be truly special. As for Reed, only yr 2, but he’s never going to be a great player if he can’t improve his handles. I’m so disappointed in the rockets scouting. You cant spend the #3 pick on an undersized guard with not great handles. It’s honestly an indictment on the talent evaluators in the front office. Honestly just stupid. Reed may still pan out but I would never have drafted him if I understood how average the handles were.
Roster wise I dont see any big moves being made until the Summer of 2027 when they may be adding 2 FRPs to the team. I think the biggest thing that could happen is tinkering with the staff and small moves given the cap issues and their draft capital. Its been pointed out that the Rockets run an offense that is, frankly, a relic. Too much ISO and too few manufactured 3 pt looks. They need to bring in an offensie coach to install a modern system that can accentuate what their players do best. Becoming a team that takes and makes more 3s also opens up the inside for Sengun and Amen to score easier. Its a feedback loop that the Rockets have to figure out. As far as players, I would like to see them buy low on Keon Ellis. Good defender who is a career 40% 3pt shooter. I think, given their cap situation, you have to roll out the red carpet to recruit him because there is going to be equal or better money out there for him. In the draft, if he is there, I am running to the podium to select Trevon Brazile. He is the anti Sengun (long and athletic with an outside shot). I think he could fit with Sengun and with Jabari along the front line and would be a great lob threat for Amen. Again, this is just setting the stage for 2027 when they will hopefully have 2 lottery picks to add blue chip talent in the draft.
Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: +1.8 ppg, -4.1 rpg, and +1.6 apg. Incoming Players Immanuel Quickley 26 year old, 6-2, 190 lb PG from Kentucky 16.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.9 apg in 31.9 minutes in 2025-2026 Gradey Dick 22 year old, 6-7, 200 lb GF from Kansas 6.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.7 apg in 14.0 minutes in 2025-2026 Outgoing Players Dorian Finney-Smith 33 year old, 6-7, 220 lb SF from Florida 3.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 apg in 16.8 minutes in 2025-2026 Reed Sheppard 21 year old, 6-2, 185 lb G from Kentucky 13.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg in 26.2 minutes in 2025-2026 Clint Capela 31 year old, 6-10, 256 lb PF from Chalon-Sur-Saone (France) 3.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.7 apg in 12.3 minutes in 2025-2026
Even though running it back is not a popular thing, I am still interested in what the team would be like with VanVleet and Adams out there. I think this team fully loaded next season would be scary tough.
Frankly, if you think there’s a chance they run it back with KD + young core, you haven’t thought this through. Without a reset of expectations, the org would face final judgment based on winning a playoff series next season. If they run it back, they are maybe <30% to win that series. They will be heavy dogs vs OKC/SAS/DEN/MIN/LAL. Ergo, running it back would be the org walking themselves to the firing squad. They aren’t going to do that. Only options are a) keep expectations the same and push chips in for an old star to try to become a favorite to win that series, or b) take a strategic step back to collect assets and reset expectations. IMO they would prefer to do (b), but either are possible. Running it back isn’t happening.
I'm not super against running it back one more time (with a new offensive coordinator) but if we could somehow turn Sengun into Trey Murphy that would be ideal. Maybe I'm undervaluing Sengun, but it feels like he's worth less than Murphy now. HOU in: Trey Murphy, Yves Missi New Orleans in: Sengun, BKN 2027 1st round pick
Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: +4.8 ppg, +0.1 rpg, and +0.5 apg. Incoming Players Jordan Poole 26 year old, 6-4, 194 lb SG from Michigan 13.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.1 apg in 23.9 minutes in 2025-2026 Derik Queen 21 year old, 6-9, 250 lb C from Maryland 11.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg in 25.0 minutes in 2025-2026 Outgoing Players Alperen Sengun 23 year old, 6-11, 243 lb C from Besiktas Icrypex (Turkey) 20.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 6.2 apg in 33.3 minutes in 2025-2026
Losing twice in a row in the 1st round as the heavily favored team is not an "asterisk", it's a trend. Either of those series losses would have been the worst result of a James Harden season in Houston, which says a lot. Udoka has to go, but he did his job of getting Tillboy the maximum number of home playoff games in the first round. They're going to repeat the same mistake they made with JVG where a single finals run (which he LOST) results in years of wasting a core until a real coach and GM are installed, but too late as the core collapses to age and injuries.
The first time, it was our first real run—no experience, still figuring things out—and we ran into a team that was the hottest in the league after the trade deadline. The second time, we weren’t even healthy. And sure, even with that, we probably still should’ve beaten that Lakers team Just because the team didn’t meet expectations in a down year doesn’t mean you blow everything up. Building a championship team takes time. It’s hard to win one in two years—it’s hard to win one, period. I also think more of this falls on Stone than Ime. They both deserve blame, but Stone especially. I’m not convinced he knows how to build a true championship roster or adjust when things aren’t working midseason. When we needed a move at the deadline, nothing happened. Meanwhile, you look at teams like the Wolves—they’re always looking to improve, even considering moves like adding a guy like Ayo to get better on the margins. That’s the kind of urgency and adaptability we’ve been missing. I also think stone and ime aren't in the same page. Stone said we aren't a developmental team and ime said we are development reed and amen...
What do you all think about this: Durant to Milwaukee for Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins Sign Keon Ellis Draft Trevon Brazile and FVV/Reed Rollins/Ellis Thompson/Jabari Jabari/Portiz/Kuzma Sengun/Adams/Brazile
We’ve seen guys like Jalen stitch up his handle to an acceptable level. I think that the biggest issue for Reid this year was we went from not giving him a ton of repetition to throwing a good bit on him at the end of the year and in the playoffs. give him the entire season next year as a starter, handling the ball. with improved offensive, coaching and repetition. I think he will tighten up his handle and I do think that he will be good at making the correct pass in time. VanVleet needs to extend with us for a couple additional seasons at a great rate and accept his role as a significant backup.
I mean, sure handle can be improved to some extent, but u don’t draft an undersized guard with a mid handle. It doesn’t matter if he’s a good shooter. Ask Trajon Langdon if it matters to have a handle. One of the best college shooters I ever saw. Washed out in the nba because he couldn’t dribble. Reed talking about how he worked out without the ball last offseason focused on defense improvemt. Homeboy needs to sleep, eat, drink with a ball in his hands. It’s is a surprisingly weak part of his game and I can’t believe it wasnt more of a red flag to our scouts. The defense and size was already gonna be an issue, so we add mid handles to that list of stuff he’s got to overcome? I think we really screwed up. I’m not a believer in Reed until he improves his handles significantly. Not sure what you are referencing with better offensive coaching. Sounds like no changes to the coaching staff are being made. And our player development has been very weak since stone took over the org. Very frustrating to me.
Who said to blow everything up? I said to fire the coach and GM. Carrol Dawson and JVG got fired after a 52-win season (sound familiar?) Enter Daryl Morey and Rick Adelman and the team instantly transforms into title contenders, but Yao and T-Mac were too old and broken down to take advantage of it, pushing the championship Lakers to 7 without our two best players. Had they brought in those two in 2005 instead of 2009, you're likely talking about a much more successful decade of Rockets Basketball before the inevitable rebuild after Yao and T-Mac fell apart.
Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: +3.3 ppg, -3.0 rpg, and +8.7 apg. Incoming Players Davion Mitchell 27 year old, 6-0, 202 lb PG from Baylor 9.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 6.5 apg in 28.6 minutes in 2025-2026 Nikola Jovic 22 year old, 6-10, 205 lb F from KK Mega Bemax (Serbia) 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg in 17.2 minutes in 2025-2026 Kasparas Jakucionis 19 year old, 6-5, 200 lb G from Illinois 6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg in 17.8 minutes in 2025-2026 Outgoing Players Jabari Smith, Jr. 22 year old, 6-11, 220 lb F from Auburn 15.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.9 apg in 35.1 minutes in 2025-2026 Clint Capela 31 year old, 6-10, 256 lb PF from Chalon-Sur-Saone (France) 3.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.7 apg in 12.3 minutes in 2025-2026
I think we're deluding ourselves believing we're going anywhere with Durant. At this point we're in a kind of first round ceiling purgatory until his contract is up.
I want Stone fired, but with Ime I wouldn’t make a change just for the sake of it, especially when there aren’t many great coaching options available right now. Unless someone unexpectedly becomes available this offseason, I’d rather keep the stability with Ime. I like Rondo and think he could become a good coach someday, but he still has no head coaching experience, and throwing him into this situation immediately would be a huge gamble.
do we even have a top 10 young player, sad, so sad, with the upcoming change to the draft, blow it up would not work anyway although i think that is probably the best way to do it
