Would this trade make sense for the Houston Rockets?
For the Houston Rockets, this trade would also be a pretty good one. They’d be getting one super young player and another guy who they could then flip next season (or in a three-team deal) if they chose to do so, for an older veteran.
As great as Eric Gordon has been, he was never going to be a part of Houston’s long-term plans. At 33 years old, the best he can do is provide some veteran leadership. But trading him for young players and draft picks should be a no-brainer.
Talen Horton-Tucker may not be putting up efficient shooting splits, but he’s also being forced to play a very confined role. The Lakers need him to do very specific things for them, so he doesn’t really have the freedom to find himself (from a basketball standpoint).
In Houston, Horton-Tucker would be able to play his game instead of a game that tailors to the Lakers, Giving him that freedom could be what unlocks the potential that so many Los Angeles fans have seen in him. Who knows how good he can be?
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Add in two second-round picks to the mix, and that’s a pretty good haul for Gordon. This trade would be solid for the Rockets, and there may not be many other teams willing to offer this much. That’s just how desperate the Lakers could end up being at the deadline.