Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Houston Rockets
With James Harden gone, it is clear to see that the Houston Rockets are in no position to contend for a championship in the Western Conference. John Wall and Victor Oladipo 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, why keep PJ Tucker on an expiring contract when you can leverage him and get a key impact player and a future first-round pick? This team is going to have to go through some kind of a rebuild phase, so why not just get it over with now?
What the Rockets get out of this trade is actually quite valuable as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a very solid role player and a high-level perimeter threat. We mentioned that he is shooting upwards of 42% from three-point range this season, but he has established himself as one of the best catch-and-shoot shooting guards in the league.
His role with the Rockets would be to do what he does best, which is shooting three-pointers and with John Wall’s ability to find his open teammates, KCP could continue to be an elite perimeter threat.
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The most valuable aspect of this trade is the 2022 first-round pick the Rockets would receive. While it would likely be an end-of-the-round pick, it is still a valuable first-round pick that the Rockets could utilize to reach their ultimate goal of building a young, sustainable core.
At this point, the Houston Rockets need to realize that they have no shot at keeping this team as a playoff contender and as a result, need to do everything they can to gain assets now to build for the future. Tucker is turning 36 years old this season and with him in the back-half of his career, they might as well try and get a first-round pick for him seeing as they no longer have any chance to win a title.
