Miami Heat Receive: G Victor Oladipo

Houston Rockets Receive: F Andre Iguodala, G Kendrick Nunn, PHI/DEN 2022 2nd Round Pick (less favorable, via MIA), MIA 2025 1st Round Pick

Houston finally granted James Harden his wish of being traded to the Nets and sent him to Brooklyn in a multi-team deal in exchange for four first-round picks (Nets 2022, 2024, 2026; Bucks 2022), four first-round pick swaps from the Nets in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027, Caris LeVert, Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs.

Then, the Rockets flipped the script on Caris LeVert and traded him and a future second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for former NBA All-Star guard, Victor Oladipo. Houston now enters what they hope to be a quick rebuild, with a lot of former star talent.

With plenty of draft assets to come, the Houston Rockets need some talented, youthful players to add to their team for years to come, which is exactly what they would be getting from Miami. Besides Iguodala, Kendrick Nunn and the draft picks they would receive in this trade gives Houston the capability to continue building their core for the future. 

As things stand right now, the Rockets are actually not that bad of a team, but they are very up-and-down. Former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have looked really solid at times and have shown flashes of their “past lives,” but there are still concerns about their durability over the course of the whole season.

These guys are just the present for the Rockets, but guys like Christian Wood, Jae’Sean Tate and Danuel House are the future. Kendrick Nunn could also be a part of the Rockets’ future core if they were to execute this trade. 

Last season, Kendrick Nunn finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting, trailing the award recipient, Ja Morant and finishing in front of last year’s first overall pick, Zion Williamson. In his “rookie season,” Nunn averaged 15.3 points, 3.3 assists and shot 43.9% from the floor and 35% from three-point range.

While he is still growing as a player, Nunn has proven that he has the potential to be a franchise point guard and with John Wall to learn from, Nunn could be set up for a lot of success in Houston.

Houston traded for Victor Oladipo with the initial mindset of pairing him with John Wall in the backcourt, but if they can get a deal for some high-level young talent, the Rockets would definitely consider trading away Oladipo, especially since they are in a position where they are trying to make the best moves to set them up for future success. 

With that being said, let’s take a closer look as to why this trade makes sense for both the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat.