How This Trade Impacts Houston Rockets
The goal for the Houston Rockets this offseason is to develop their young players. They made their rebuilding intentions clear when they had four first-round picks in the 2021 NBA Draft and used all four selections on teenagers.
There are plenty of growing pains occurring in Houston, but they have an impressive group of young players to develop. That group could have a few more players added to it should the team trade Christian Wood as in this hypothetical deal from Chad Ford’s big board.
Cashing in on Wood’s value is something the Rockets will seriously consider. However, it is fair to wonder if this trade package from the New York Knicks, especially since it also includes Kevin Porter Jr., falls short of what they would be expecting in return. There is also no draft compensation included
But, this package from New York is an intriguing one. Houston struggles to slow anyone down defensively and Mitchell Robinson would provide them with an anchor defensively in the middle. He is limited offensively, but the team has a ton of players that can fill it up.
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Obi Toppin is the crown jewel of this package. He has yet to be able to fully spread his wings as he is stuck behind Julius Randle on the depth chart and Tom Thibodeau is hesitant to play either of them at the center spot. On a team with plenty of opportunities, Toppin could really explode.
In his limited minutes, he almost always has a positive impact on the game. When Randle missed games in the health and safety protocols, Toppin had a career performance against the Toronto Raptors. He just needs a chance to showcase those skills more consistently.
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Miles McBride gives Houston another young player that could carve out a role in the backcourt. He has an excellent pull-up jumper and midrange game on offense. Defensively, he gets after it as he isn’t afraid to mix it up with bigger players as he is stronger than he looks.
