Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Houston Rockets
As soon as the Houston Rockets trade James Harden, they are in no position to contend for a championship in the Western Conference. John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins can help ease the pain of the rebuild in Houston, but at the end of the day, without Harden, this team is virtually nothing.
As a result, trading away a guy in Eric Gordon, who may not have much of a future with this franchise anymore, makes the most sense. Houston signed Gordon to a contract-extension last season, but with what has transpired this past offseason and the rebuild process that looms over this franchise, holding onto a 32-year old wing and paying him $75M over the next four years does not make much sense.
While Iguodala’s contract situation is similar to the problem Houston has with Gordon, Iggy is under contract for half the time Gordon is and the Rockets also get Kendrick Nunn and a future first-round pick.
John Wall has looked very good this season, especially since this is his first NBA action since 2018, but there are some major questions still about his durability moving forward. With James Harden likely on his way out, the Rockets have some problems in their backcourt, which is why they could use a young talent like Kendrick Nunn moving forward.
Nunn has proven to be a great talent on the offensive end of the court and without James Harden, this team will need another reliable backcourt option next to John Wall. Kendrick Nunn has the ability to not only play off-the-ball next to a guy like Wall, but he can also be a leader for this team in the second-unit.
The 25-year old guard was named to the All-Rookie First-Team for a reason last year and has a very bright future in this league. Nunn has the potential to grow into a franchise point guard and for a team like Houston, who needs youthful talent in the backcourt, he could prove to be a very valuable asset moving forward.
Given the direction this franchise is moving in, it makes a lot of sense for them to consider trading away Eric Gordon and if they can get a young talent like Kendrick Nunn and a first-round pick for him, Houston should be very willing to act on this trade.
