What does the Houston Rockets’ future look like as the James Harden era ends?
Well it happened, the Houston Rockets made the move that everyone speculated but very few expected. Star James Harden was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday in a blockbuster trade that included a haul of first-round picks and several impact players in the league.
In return for losing James Harden, the Rockets brought back four Nets first-round picks, four Nets pick swaps, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, and Victor Oladipo. Quite the return for trading just one player, even though that player is a top 5 player in the league.
Obviously, when losing a player of Harden’s caliber, any team would be left in the dust and most likely have to face a rebuild.
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But this might not be the case for the Rockets, at least not right off the bat. The team still has a solid big three consisting of newly acquired Victor Oladipo, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins. If this was three years ago we’d probably be praising the Rockets with one of the best big threes in the league. But a lot of injuries have plagued these three stars as they are all still trying to navigate their way back into NBA stardom.
Regardless, it has the potential to be very solid. Wall has played great in his first season back after missing almost the last two years due to injury. With Wall as the playmaker, Oladipo could fit really well in the backcourt as the go-to scorer in H-Town. Newly acquired Christian Wood has also been dominant in his first year in Houston as he looks to be one of the better new big men in the league.
With Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker both still under contract, Houston can compete if they want this year, the only problem is these are really just placeholders for the time being. In an overpowering Western Conference, and with expiring contracts in Victor Oladipo, DeMarcus Cousins, and P.J. Tucker, a 2021 run to the playoffs could still happen although the future looks bleak for Wall and company.
Houston will undoubtedly have to face a rebuild in the coming years, and if Wall and Wood keep up their stellar play, they could be the two pieces the team decides to build around. Oladipo seems unlikely to return regardless of how this season ends up, and both Tucker and Gordon will definitely be shopped in another potential trade for picks or young assets.
With all the draft picks Houston acquired in this trade, there’s no doubt the team will have many future opportunities to rebuild through upcoming drafts. And although the picks they will get in return from the Nets in the next couple of years most likely won’t be top selections, there is potential for them to be somewhere down the road.
Kyrie, KD, and Harden all have opt-outs after the 2021-22 season and if this experiment ends up blowing up in the Nets’ faces, they can all bounce and leave the Nets in ruins for years. But on the other hand, they may create a powerhouse and the three could stick together for years and years to dominate the league. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Sadly, the Rockets’ hopes of making a championship run any time soon are all but over. We haven’t seen a true Rockets rebuild in a long time and sadly although they’ve been competitive over the last several years it hasn’t amounted to much. I feel for Houston fans but days will get better, I’m a big fan of John Wall and he might be just the guy this franchise needs to get through these tough times.