Does this trade make sense for the Houston Rockets?
Any trade in which the Houston Rockets can get rid of John Wall makes sense for them because they really do not want him on their roster anymore. Why Houston made this trade with Washington last year involving Russell Westbrook is still being questioned to this day and now, the Rockets are stuck with Wall.
While they could opt to play him right now and see what he can give them production wise, the Rockets are really not trying to win games. They would love to continue getting their young guys experience together and aim to get another high lottery pick, which is why playing John Wall right now makes no sense.
He would increase their chances of winning and in the process, Wall would take away playing time from some of the younger guards on this roster. Buying him out of his contract does not seem like something the Rockets want to do either because of how much he is owed!
It does not seem like John Wall is going to want to opt out of his player option next year, meaning that the Houston Rockets are responsible for paying the former All-Star $91.6M through next season. This is crippling to a rebuilding franchise, hence why this trade with the Los Angeles Clippers makes complete sense for the Rockets.
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Serge Ibaka could be a great veteran mentor for guys like Kenyon Martin Jr. and Christian Wood in their frontcourt, plus Eric Bledsoe could help mentor guys like Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. in the backcourt. The best part about these veterans too is that they are on affordable deals that are about to expire.
As for Luka Kennard, he would provide Houston with some much needed shooting depth on the wing.
The Rockets only have two players shooting over 35% from three-point range on the year (min. 40 attempts) and they rank 24th in the league as a team in three-point shooting percentage.
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Kennard has always been a reliable shooter and he has made at least 2 three-point shots in 14 of the 21 games he has played in so far this season. Assuming he would continue to come into games off-the-bench, Luke Kennard is definitely a younger player the Houston Rockets would be interested in on the wing.
They would be trading John Wall, take back lower contracts and get a young shooter in return, so there is no reason why the Rockets would not be interested in this deal from the Clippers.
