Houston Rockets: 3 biggest ‘what ifs’ from a nightmarish season

What if the Houston Rockets had rolled the dice with Caris LeVert?

Caris LeVert has been an odd fit in Indiana with Malcolm Brogdon thus far after missing some time after there was a small mass found on LeVert’s kidney. I expect it to get stranger as time goes on as TJ Warren returns for next year, another ball handler that will have to adjust to the addition of Levert. Nevertheless, he’s a young player who can shoot the 3 and create his own shot. Not only that but he’s younger than Oladipo, cheaper than Oladipo, and posts similar numbers to Oladipo.

Once the Rockets dealt Harden, the return of LeVert as the centerpiece that the Rockets received in exchange seemed not great but not because LeVert is a bad player or anything. When you trade away a hall of famer, with plenty left in the tank, you typically get fleeced. Chris Paul going from New Orleans to the Clippers, Barkley to the Suns come to mind. Both established guys who were traded with their best years ahead of them.

Here’s the problem, LeVert at his peak could be an all-star caliber player, Houston didn’t see that in LeVert and opted to move him to Indiana for Victor Oladipo. If Houston keeps LeVert, they can at least see how he fits in with John Wall and Christian Wood. Obviously, Wood and Wall have missed their fair share of games so they would not be in playoff contention, so they could still theoretically tank and let LeVert get his numbers.

Play for a great lottery selection and be younger than you are with Oladipo. Not to mention the fact that Oladipo was moved at the deadline, so instead of Caris LeVert, (a 20 point-per-game scorer with two years left on his bargain contract) you end up with Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley, oh and a Miami pick swap that serves no purpose.

If Houston keeps LeVert, does Indiana still move Oladipo? Would Oladipo be dealt at all? This move alters a bunch of different teams in the whole Oladipo part of this trade. I think all in all the Rocket’s front office regrets making the move.

They would still be a rebuilding franchise had they kept Caris, but at least they would have a core player entering his prime in LeVert to start the rebuild with. At the very least, the Rockets could’ve bought themselves a little bit of extra time until Levert’s contract was up to make the decision to re-sign or trade him.