Does this trade make sense for the Houston Rockets?
In terms of them rebuilding and looking to develop their young core together, trading Christian Wood one year after signing him to a lucrative deal is not that favorable to the Rockets, but then again, they would be getting a fair amount of value from the Charlotte Hornets. They could potentially even get more talent and assets from Charlotte as well seeing as Wood is coming off his best season in the NBA.
Acquiring P.J. Washington gives the Rockets a young frontcourt player to build with, as does Kai Jones, but Mason Plumlee really is not a player that would make much sense for the Rockets to want.
He does have a partially-guaranteed clause in his contract for the 2022-23 season, meaning that Houston could waive him in the offseason, but he is 31-years-old and does not provide any value to a rebuilding franchise other than being someone that they could potentially flip for a draft pick or another young talent.
Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely value to be had for the Rockets in this deal, but they have a good thing going with Christian Wood being at the forefront of their rebuilding process. With him, Jae’Sean Tate, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. as well as their four incoming rookies led by Jalen Green, the Rockets have a really strong foundation and arguably one of the most talented young cores in the league.
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Trading Christian Wood would result in the Rockets giving up a ton of value in their frontcourt that they likely could not replicate for some time. P.J. Washington is kind of a mini-Christian Wood in his own right, but Wood is a lot more experienced and is only 25-years-old himself, making him a prime leader for the Rockets moving forward.
