Houston Rockets

Rockets Receive: C Kelly Olynyk, G Avery Bradley, Future First-Round Pick Swap (Presumably 2022 Draft)

Getting Victor Oladipo back when James Harden was traded was a really solid move by the Houston Rockets, even though he did not intend to sign with them long-term. They had a chance to get a ton of value for him at the NBA trade deadline this year and they failed to do so, only adding Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and moving up a few spots in whatever draft this trade swap is for. 

Not only is he a former All-Star guard, but Oladipo has been playing just as good as he has over the course of his career and they still could not get a ton of value for him! Avery Bradley is a veteran player that will likely be moved by the Rockets at some point in the future, especially since they are rebuilding and looking to get younger, and Kelly Olynyk is nothing more than a role player. 

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He does not possess any key player qualities and while he is a great stretch big man, being able to knock down shots from the perimeter, he is not a player that can be a difference-maker for a team’s chances to make the playoffs. 

The Rockets got a ton of draft value for James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets when they executed that trade back in January and they had a chance to add even more draft picks by trading Oladipo, but they settled for using one of these Nets’ picks as a swap with the Heat. 

Nothing about this trade makes sense for the Houston Rockets and what it tells us is that there was virtually no market for Oladipo. No team was willing to pay the price the Rockets wanted and as a result, Houston missed out big time. They could have had both Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, both being high-level talents, but they ended up with Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley, a total waste of a trade for the Rockets. 

GRADE: F