Why The Houston Rockets Do The Deal
Let’s start with why the Houston Rockets don’t do this deal.
They certainly don’t do it to acquire Dario Saric. The last time we saw Saric in action, he was a quality NBA player. Unfortunately, he missed all of 2021-22 with an injury. For the Rockets’ purposes, it doesn’t matter. He’s a veteran who will command playing time over their rookies and sophomores. They’d likely buy him out if they couldn’t find a separate trade for him.
They don’t really do it for Landry Shamet, either. With that said, at 25, he’s not as far outside this group’s timeline. If the Rockets wanted to have him compete with soon-to-be sophomore Josh Christopher for minutes, that could be justified.
Still, this is mostly about the 2023 draft pick for Houston. It’s top 10 protected. The Suns should insist on that: there’s a non-zero chance that things go belly-up for this organization in 2022-23.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: Phoenix Suns Among Trade Suitors For Houston Rockets’ Eric Gordon
With that said, acquiring Eric Gordon would be one way to minimize the likelihood of that outcome.
