Is it time for the Houston Rockets to hit the reset button?
In the NBA some teams are just consistently good, but never great. Every NBA fan has that team that was good but never won a championship. Personally, that team was Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns in the early-2000s. For others, it may have been that team may have been Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers in the late-1990s or those early Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls in the 2010s.
Right now, the Houston Rockets feel to be falling into that category. Credit Daryl Morey, the executive of the Rockets for consistently being aggressive in building a winning team. The acquisition of James Harden was one of the best moves in recent NBA history.
Adding Mike D’Antoni and revamping the offense another stroke of genius. Trading for Chris Paul brought this team a hamstring injury away from the NBA Finals and revamping on the fly with Russell Westbrook, and the small-ball lineup was another bold move.
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Is time running out on the Houston Rockets?
It feels like time is starting to run out on these Rockets, though. James Harden is in his prime now but after next season he’ll be approaching 32. Russell Westbrook is 31 right now, and it’s not wrong to wonder if his athleticism is going to start declining, along with the stability of his knees.
Daryl Morey has always been the innovator, so is it possible that after the 2020-21 season, he could actually make a masterstroke of rebuilding this team for the future to actually be a contender?
The signs of this possibility are already there, Mike D’Antoni is in the final year of his contract, and reports say he is unlikely to be back with the team. After an opportunity with a new coach that also fails to win a title, wouldn’t it make sense to move on from the team’s stars?
Then, there’s the money. Both James Harden and Russell Westbrook are on the books for over $40 million dollars the next three years, and new owner Tilman Fertitta hasn’t been overly interested in spending a lot of money paying the luxury tax.
Lastly, there’s the NBA Draft. The Rockets don’t have a 2020 draft pick and have a lot of picks going out to Thunder from the Russell Westbrook trade. Building a contending team is always tough when a team lacks draft capital.
Is it time to blow it up?
If after next season the Rockets do blow it up, they could stand to gain a lot. I think of this deal very much akin to when Danny Ainge traded Paul Pierce and Kevin Durant or even the recent trades of Anthony Davis and Paul George.
The 2021 free-agent class is predicted to be loaded with stars; Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Giannis Antetokounmpo could all be available. A team that could clear their cap could potentially trade for either Harden and Westbrook or just one of them to pair with a marquee free-agent and give the Rockets major assets in young players and draft picks.
A trade of this magnitude would give Daryl Morey the opportunity to find his next Harden while having a team much cheaper for owner Fertitta.
Imagine the potential of moving the stars to a team like the New York Knicks who are always craving stars and having the potential to get a young player like RJ Barrett in a massive haul of picks and youngsters.
RJ Barrett is a player that Morrey could shape for his style of basketball that has been dubbed “Morreyball,” a high usage perimeter player who shoots a ton and goes to the basket. Morey can then use all those draft picks to grow a team around a player like Barrett or flip them for a supporting cast.
Imagine the possibility for small-market teams too, teams like Orlando, Sacramento, Charlotte, or Detroit are all teams that struggle to obtain marquee stars and may be willing to pay heavy prices for a combination of Harden and Westbrook.
Imagine Daryl Morey potentially being able to steal a player like De’Aaron Fox away from most dysfunctional front offices in the league like Sacramento.
An argument could be made that it would be better off for the Houston Rockets to hit the abort button after next season if the Harden-Westbrook duo fails to win a title because we have seen teams like Houston be aggressive only to not win the title and have decades of failure after.
Look at the Nash Suns teams, they kept trying to build and trade their way forward only to be set back for the next decade after it was over. There’s arguably more to lose if the Rockets continue to keep their stars.
What it will all come down to though is Daryl Morey, the organization has its faith in Morey for good reason. If Morey recognizes the opportunity to blow up the team and get serious value in the future, he’d have the green light to take it.
All of it comes down to the pursuit of a championship and Daryl Morey is one of the hungriest executives in the league for one. Harden runs may have been a great attempt but blowing the team up might actually allow Morrey to perfect his reign on the Rockets.