There has been a lot of discussion about the Houston Rockets looking to make some big moves this NBA offseason. They made their first one, hiring Ime Udoka to become their head coach after parting ways with Stephen Silas after the season. Now, it is time to get to work on the roster.
Rumors have swirled that the Rockets could be the landing spot for James Harden should he opt to leave the Philadelphia 76ers. An early playoff exit would have reportedly greased the wheels for a Harden return to Houston and that is exactly what happened.
The 76ers lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Boston Celtics. The 76ers fired head coach Doc Rivers, which could help keep Harden in the City of Brotherly Love; he reportedly wouldn’t consider a return unless Rivers was fired.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors & Houston Rockets Updates
Before free agency gets underway, the Rockets will have a chance to add an impact player to the roster in the 2023 NBA Draft. They landed the No. 4 pick in the draft, which will put them in a position to land another impact youngster. However, it sounds like the franchise is ready to move in a different direction.
An instant-impact star is what Houston is seeking this offseason. That could very well mean Harden, but what if the opportunity presented itself to bring on another All-NBA-caliber player along with Harden?
Depending on how the 2023 NBA Draft falls, that opportunity could become a possibility for the Rockets. In a recent mock draft done by Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, he has Houston making a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors & Houston Rockets Updates
Houston sends Kevin Porter Jr., Kenyon Martin Jr., the No. 4 pick and a 2025 first-round pick, which is top-four protected, to Toronto in exchange for Pascal Siakam. This move would certainly change the trajectory of both franchises.
The Raptors would be diving head first into a rebuild to retool around Scottie Barnes Jr. Scoot Henderson is on the board in this mock draft, which is what motivates Masai Ujiri to make a deal. Henderson would form an intriguing duo with Barnes, and possibly a trio if the team doesn’t trade OG Anunoby, who was moved in another hypothetical deal in the mock.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors & Houston Rockets Updates
As for the Rockets, they would finally have a go-to scorer to help take pressure off of the young guys. Siakam is an NBA champion and All-NBA level performer, bringing stability to a franchise that has had very young rotations the last few seasons outside of Eric Gordon. Working out a long-term deal with Siakam would make this trade even more palatable, as he is worth a package of that caliber with guarantees he won’t be leaving in 2024.
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