Why This Trade Would Make Sense For The Houston Rockets
This is a good trade for the Houston Rockets because they are able to get a haul of talent for their veteran point guard with an expiring contract. Don’t get me twisted, John Wall is still an elite talent for the Houston Rockets, but the teams’ lack of success and inability to build around him has frustrated Wall to the point where it may be better to trade him away before things get ugly.
In exchange for Wall, the team would pick up a very capable point guard in Kemba Walker and a solid role player in Tristan Thompson. Walker has the tools to be a top 10 point guard in the NBA, but his injuries keep him off the floor more often than the Celtics like.
One thing Kemba Walker can provide the Rockets with whether he’s on or off the court is wisdom, and the Rockets will likely want a point guard with experience who would be willing to mentor some young guys behind him.
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Tristan Thompson is also a nice addition to have, although he’s been a bit disappointing. Kelly Olynyk has found significant success with the Kelly Olynyk since being traded to the team at the NBA trade deadline. Having both Thompson and Olynyk off the bench as options in addition to Christian Wood as the star would give them quite a bit of versatility.
There would mostly be financial benefit for the Rockets by taking on Thompson’s contract. He will be entering the final year of his deal next season and that would mark $9.7 million coming off the books. For a rebuilding team, continuing to lower their cap hit to non-long-term personnel is a logical option.
