Inside The Rockets

Should Rockets Cash In Assets, Trade for Star?

The Houston Rockets may look to make a blockbuster trade.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) shoots the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends during the game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) shoots the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends during the game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are a team filled with young talent and could use a superstar to bind the whole thing together.

The Rockets have the assets to make such a deal, but is it in the best interest for the team to do so? Bleacher Report analyst Eric Pincus believes it could be the path to take.

"The Rockets have jumped from awful to just missing the play-in tournament last year and are now the second-best team in the West. The growth of Tari Eason and Amen Thompson as defensive role players supporting the offense of Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün and Fred VanVleet has been impressive to watch," Pincus writes. "Still, the franchise had positioned itself with young players, draft picks and movable contracts to make a credible offer on the next star player who demands a trade. But with the recent success, should Houston break up its chemistry if Giannis Antetekounmpo becomes available? Probably so, but it would be costly."

The Rockets should be looking at stars, but they should wait and see how far the current group could take them. Disrupting chemistry is often a reason why teams fail to reach its full potential, so the Rockets shouldn't do it unless it is absolutely necessary.

The Rockets are back in action on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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