Trade No. 1 – Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets Receive: F Kyle Kuzma, G Alex Caruso, F Jared Dudley, LAL 2024 2nd Round Pick
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F P.J. Tucker, F Ben McLemore
The Houston Rockets are in shambles right now as an organization as they fired their GM and head coach in the offseason, traded away Robert Covington and Russell Westbrook and now James Harden has been traded to the Nets. Everything that could have gone wrong for this organization went wrong and now, they are facing an up-hill journey to try and rebuild their organization back into a championship contender.
With the “Houston Rockets’ Garage Sale” going on, PJ Tucker being traded would make a lot of sense on the Rockets’ end of things. He is now 35-years old and does not have many years left in the NBA. His value is as high as it can be right now and if they are able to acquire Caruso, Kuzma, Dudley, and a second-round pick for him and McLemore, that would be a big win for the Rockets moving forward.
Alex Caruso has been a fantastic role player for the Lakers and played a big part in them being NBA Champions last year. While his numbers may not show it, Caruso does all the little things for the Lakers to help them win games. From playing pesty defense to hustling on every play, to making the extra pass to his open teammates, Caruso is a guy that is beloved in the Lakers’ locker room and could be a solid rotation guy for the Rockets.
In three years with the Lakers, Kyle Kuzma has been fantastic, averaging about 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shooting 33.4% from three-point range. With Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins in the frontcourt, Kuzma is a combo-forward that could bring a lot of energy off the bench for the Rockets moving forward.
PJ Tucker being added to the Los Angeles Lakers at the expense of Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma is a major upgrade for LeBron James’ bunch in their quest to win back-to-back titles. Not only could Tucker help them a lot in terms of defensive effort and take a lot of pressure off of Anthony Davis defensively, but Tucker is a better three-point shooter than Kuzma and Caruso.
While his stats will not blow you away and seem to be very unimpressive, a lot of what Tucker does on the court for the Rockets does not show up on any stat sheets. His competitiveness and defensive tenacity makes him one of the better defensive players in the NBA and his versatility allows him to guard any position on the court.
Ben McLemore is also a guy who can join the Lakers and be a high-impact player in their chances to repeat as champions. Over the course of his career, he is a 36.7% three-point shooter, and adding another perimeter-oriented player would help the Lakers a lot, especially if they are giving up Kuzma. He has also thrived alongside superstars during his time with the Rockets.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been no strangers to trying to improve their roster any opportunity they get and this is just another small move that could pay off with yet another championship. You know what you are getting with P.J. Tucker and while trading away Kuzma and Caruso to the Rockets may hurt the Lakers down the road, all that matters for them now is winning as many titles as they can.
