Their rotation:
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Dillon Brooks
PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
C: Alperen Sengun
PG: Amen Thompson
SG: Reed Sheppard
SF: Cam Whitmore
PF: Tari Eason
C: Steven Adams
7 young guys and 3 very well positioned vets to move. Adams has $12.6m expiring. FVV $43M this year and $45M team option for next year. Dillon Brooks on a 3 year descending contract starting at $22M this year and it seems like a value contract based off of last year’s play.
They have a bunch of the important, unprotected Phoenix first round picks in upcoming drafts. 2025, 2026 swap, 2027, 2029. Kinda hard to tell but a lot of them https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/...
Feel like their current roster is at best marginally better than last year’s .500 level, play-in team.
Owner has already professed his playoff intentions as well as interest in someone like Durant. If not trading for Durant, they certainly control any possible trade Durant could be involved in.
Not enough shots to go around.
Rockets are as well positioned as OKC for the Statphuck. OKC started their process by doing the iHart thing.
Move Smith to the 5, trade Sengun and Dillon Brooks for Randle, Move Whitmore or Eason to SF.
Randle earns 29mm this year. Two rockets are the same.
Both teams are fundamentally better. OG is our PF, Mikal our 3, DDV 2, Brooks and Josh off the bench.
Nalod wrote:Move Smith to the 5, trade Sengun and Dillon Brooks for Randle, Move Whitmore or Eason to SF.
Randle earns 29mm this year. Two rockets are the same. Both teams are fundamentally better. OG is our PF, Mikal our 3, DDV 2, Brooks and Josh off the bench.
I had not thought in terms of Jabari to the 5, don’t know if he will fill out enough and had slotted him in as more a PF/SF.
My assumption is that Rockets owners would prefer Durant. My guess is that they’d want to only make moves that they think will help them with that path. Would Phoenix prefer Randle or Smith?
Rockets could (and would?) wait on exhausting the Suns route before any other preemptive move? Like wait til Suns crater around the late January mark
Nalod wrote:Move Smith to the 5, trade Sengun and Dillon Brooks for Randle, Move Whitmore or Eason to SF.
Randle earns 29mm this year. Two rockets are the same. Both teams are fundamentally better. OG is our PF, Mikal our 3, DDV 2, Brooks and Josh off the bench.
Not sure how the Knicks would be better. Sengun is (currently) not a good defender and operates in the paint or mid range and not really from 3. OG can defend the 4, but is really most effective on D as a rover or on the wing and on O on the arc or as a slasher. Brooks is a mediocre shooter and yet another wing in an already crowded roster at that position. Subtracting Randle would leave the Knicks with only Brunson as a creator. Adding Sengun without subtracting Randle would make the Knicks better IMO. Not sure it can be done without multiple FRPs attached.
foosballnick wrote:Nalod wrote:Move Smith to the 5, trade Sengun and Dillon Brooks for Randle, Move Whitmore or Eason to SF.
Randle earns 29mm this year. Two rockets are the same. Both teams are fundamentally better. OG is our PF, Mikal our 3, DDV 2, Brooks and Josh off the bench.
Not sure how the Knicks would be better. Sengun is (currently) not a good defender and operates in the paint or mid range and not really from 3. OG can defend the 4, but is really most effective on D as a rover or on the wing and on O on the arc or as a slasher. Brooks is a mediocre shooter and yet another wing in an already crowded roster at that position. Subtracting Randle would leave the Knicks with only Brunson as a creator. Adding Sengun without subtracting Randle would make the Knicks better IMO. Not sure it can be done without multiple FRPs attached.
Im not sure either. Hell, nobody is.
