Houston Rockets Rumors: How to benefit from a potential Pelicans firesale

Anthony Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans and all hell broke loose in the NBA. Let’s take a look at how the Houston Rockets could benefit from the turmoil.

The Houston Rockets divisional rival, the New Orleans Pelicans received some devastating news over the weekend when their star player, Anthony Davis, requested a trade. The Pelicans have not had a ton of success even with Davis leading the charge.

They’ve struggled to add quality depth pieces around Davis beyond Jrue Holiday and a pair of half seasons by Demarcus Cousins. They have had some players but none of panned out in regards to wins and playoff runs.

Now, Davis wants out, prioritizing winning and making championship runs over money. The Pelicans have a couple of weeks to trade to him or else they’ll have to wait until the offseason to do so. However, trading him now sets them up for greater future success. They can instantly enter into rebuilding (read tanking) mode and get a higher draft pick.

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If they opt to go this route, which they should, they could also look to offload some of their other bigger contracts and talented players. Holiday would be a solid addition to any contender as he is a solid defender and plays good off-ball offense. Julius Randle can regularly put up 20+ points and 10+ rebounds.

Both of those guys are highly tradeable but neither are particularly interesting to the Houston Rockets. However, another man on the Pelicans is. Nikola Mirotic could be just what the Rockets are looking for. He plays average defense but he is a plus player on both offense and on the boards.

Mirotic is a career 35.3% three-point shooter but he has been shooting much better than that in recent years, including this year. He is knocking down 37% of his triples on 7.2 attempts per game. His true shooting percentage is also over 59% this year which is a career high. All of this results in him scoring a career-high 16.7 points and bringing in a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game.

The Houston Rockets, without a doubt, could use some scoring prowess like that in a big man. Clint Capela will forever be the go-to guy down low but he’s hurt right now and limited to the paint. New addition Kenneth Faried has been an excellent pickup but his high energy play is also limited to the paint.

Mirotic would help stretch the floor for James Harden, Chris Paul, and Capela to do their thing while also adding yet another weapon on the wings who can score at will and can score in bunches without always needing the ball in his hands. This could only help this team reach new heights as they look to increase their divisional lead and climb the Western Conference rankings.

The Houston Rockets have reasons beyond what is listed about to be interested in Mirotic. You see, Daryl Morey used a 2011 first round pick to draft Mirotic. They stashed him overseas before he was traded away for other prospects and picks. Mirotic was traded a few more times before he finally signed a deal to come over and play for the Bulls.

Mirotic would be a fine addition to this Houston Rockets squad as he fits exactly what Morey and Mike D’Antoni want in players. He could be a perfect compliment down low with Capela and P.J. Tucker. Morey obviously likes, or at least liked, the kid in the past and there is no reason why that should have changed now.

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The tricky part is giving the Pelicans something they would want in return for Mirotic. With Davis already three steps out of the building, they’re gearing up to tank. So, the best thing for them to do is add expiring contracts and draft picks/young assets to build the next core group of players.

Moneywise, Brandon Knight matches up well however, he has another year left on his deal after this one. They would have to get creative to make the money work otherwise. The team could also add a future, lowly protected first round pick and maybe an additional second round pick to woe the Pelicans into selling Mirotic in division.

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This is a move that makes sense for both parties as the Pelicans need to get into rebuild/tank mode as fast as possible and selling off valuable assets like Mirotic could definitely be the way to do it. The Houston Rockets could also use a guy like Mirotic patrolling the wing so, win-win.

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