Does this trade make sense for the Houston Rockets?
As mentioned earlier, the Houston Rockets are rebuilding and as a result, they are looking to leverage some of their veteran talents for more young, future assets. Christian Wood is by no means an older veteran talent, as he is only 26-years-old, but his value is at an all-time high right now.
Houston may not be able to get better deals for Wood in the future compared to what they can get right now, which is why feeling out the trade market for him may not be a bad idea. Who knows what else they could get for him besides this deal from Portland, but this deal with the Blazers definitely brings some value to Houston.
Jusuf Nurkic is a big man who can be a great building block for them this season and help some of their other young frontcourt players like Alperen Sengun and Kenyon Martin Jr., and Nassir Little is a solid player for them to add to their young core.
Drafted 25th overall in 2019, Little is finally starting to crack Portland’s rotation and has been solid so far this season, averaging 8.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and shooting 44.4% from the three-point line on the wing. Nassir Little is definitely a player the Rockets could look to build with next to guys like Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green for the foreseeable future, which is why he is a valuable trade asset.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Houston Rockets Make “Surprising” Christian Wood Trade?
The same can be said about the two first-round picks Houston would be getting in this trade. Both would likely convey over to Houston in 2022 and 2024, even though they are lottery-protected by Portland, giving the Rockets even more draft capital to play around with moving forward!
While Christian Wood has been great for the Houston Rockets over the last year and a half or so, you have to wonder if he is the guy they want to move forward with and give a max contract to at the center position. Trading him is not necessarily the best thing for them to do right now, but the value they could get from doing so may be too much to pass up.
