NBA
It’s not Jimmy Butler: This is the big superstar the Houston Rockets would be willing to trade for
The Houston Rockets hold the second seed spot in the Western Conference and are looking to add a star player to their roster. They will have bargaining power to sign a big name.
The Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to five games with a 128-108 victory over Denver at the Ball Arena on Wednesday. It strengthens Ime Udoka’s team’s position as the second seeds in the Western Conference on 27-12 and keeps them on course to secure a place in April’s playoffs.
Houston have failed to make the postseason for the past four years - the worst run since the start of the new millennium. It’s easy to see why the franchise wants to make the most of the team’s momentum and bring in the only thing it lacks - an experienced superstar.
The Rockets have bargaining power and hope they won’t have to trade any of their emerging talents to land a big name veteran during the offseason. When the summer comes around, Houston will have up to 10 first-round picks to either trade or use as makeweights in any major deals.
Devin Booker to Houston?
There has been much speculation about where Jimmy Butler might end up as his dispute with the Miami Heat continues to simmer although Houston is not on his list of possible destinations. However there is one candidate who ESPN’s Tim MacMahon put forward as a possible reinforcement - Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. The main reason being that the Rockets own three of the Suns’ future first-round picks.
“There’s hope that their star can come from within. They have a lot of Suns’ draft capital and they’ve let it be known that they’re Devin Booker fans. If you talk to Houston,they think they have some potential stars” MacMahon offered on The Hoops Collective podcast this week.
But what are the Rockets’ chances of luring the player this summer? Booker has spent his entire professional career in Phoenix, after being selected as the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. After a decade with the franchise, he signed a four-year supermax extension last July, tying him to Phoenix until 2027.
That is one of the reason why Brian Windhorst can’t see why the three-time All Star would want to leave. “Devin Booker is staying with the Suns. I don’t see any wavering with that whatsoever,” was his response to MacMahon’s theory.
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