Houston Rockets Rumors: 5 potential additions from the buyout market
By T.A. Mock
The trade deadline came and went with a flurry of moves. The Houston Rockets made several of them but they may not be done as the buyout market approaches.
The Houston Rockets made several moves over 24 hours or so leading up to the trade deadline. This was to be expected as Daryl Morey is always looking at ways to improve the roster and has rarely gone a trade deadline without making a move.
Now, the team was countlessly linked to several players for the days and weeks leading up to the deadline. So, while the fact that they were going to make a move was obvious, who they were going to make a move for was up in the air.
Ultimately, the Houston Rockets got the party started later Wednesday night when they traded Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss, and a lottery protected first round pick to the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers subsequently sent Alec Burks and a second round pick to the Kings and sent Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin to the Rockets. The Kings then sent Iman Shumpert to the Rockets to complete the deal.
Must Read. What the Rockets gain the trade for Shumpert. light
The Houston Rockets then made a couple of more deals. The swapped Stauskas and Baldwin to the Pistons for a second round pick. The James Ennis experiment was also abandoned as he was sent to the Sixers for the option to swap second-round picks. So, both of these were designed for cap relief and getting the team under the luxury tax line.
However, these deals also did more than that. They opened up spots on the roster that could potentially be filled by other guys. A Danuel House return to the active roster isn’t out of the question but more likely the team will look to score again on the buyout market just as they did with Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried. Let’s take a look at five options.
Honorable Mentions: obin Lopez, C, Chicago Bulls and eAndre Jordan, C, New York Knicks
The team has been linked to both Robin Lopez and DeAndre Jordan previously but after adding Faried and having Clint Capela inching closer to a return from injury, a backup center isn’t as big of a need and something the team shouldn’t be pursuing.