Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets guard Ben McLemore has reportedly become a hot commodity on the trade market ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, multiple contenders have expressed interest in acquiring the 28-year-old veteran.

The expectation is that the Rockets will wheel and deal as sellers at the deadline since they are 14th in the Western Conference at 11-24.

McLemore is in the midst of his eighth NBA season and his second as a member of the Rockets. This season has been something of a struggle, as he is averaging just 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers made and 1.0 assist per game, while shooting 35.9 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from beyond the arc.

His struggles from deep are particularly concerning since he made big strides in that area over the previous two seasons.

McLemore shot a career-best 41.5 percent from three-point range with the Sacramento Kings in 2018-19 and 40.0 percent from the Rockets last season, while averaging a career-high 2.5 trifectas per contest.

He also averaged 10.1 points per game last season, which was his best scoring output since his second NBA season in 2014-15 with the Kings when he averaged 12.1 points per contest.

McLemore was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Kings after a standout collegiate career at Kansas, and while he has come nowhere close to living up to that billing, he has been a solid offensive contributor off the bench.

In 464 career regular-season games with the Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Rockets, McLemore owns averages of 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 three-pointers made, while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from long distance.

Making McLemore even more attractive to contenders is the fact that he becomes a free agent after the season, meaning no long-term commitment has to be made.

There is essentially no reason for the Rockets to keep McLemore if they can get something in return for him, even if it is only a second-round pick.

Because of that, it is fair to expect that he will be donning new colors by March 25.

P.J. Tucker's time with the Houston Rockets is coming to an end. 

Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the forward was a healthy scratch for Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings and has grown "frustrated" that he has not yet been traded to a team that can compete for a title. 

"We're going to try to figure out something that works for him and works for us as far as him not being on the team anymore," head coach Stephen Silas said after the 125-105 loss, per MacMahon. "I was under the assumption that he was going to play tonight and he didn't play. That was disappointing."

Stephen Silas on how decision was made for P.J. Tucker to sit out vs. Kings: "He decided that he was just not really with it, and we decided that that’s a good idea. Let’s move on." https://t.co/MRnUmr4Bhp

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 12, 2021

Frankly, a trade makes sense.

Tucker is on an expiring contract, and his frustration seems to indicate he won't be returning to the Rockets next season. Moving him prior to the deadline will allow a Houston team that has fallen out of contention in the Western Conference to get something in return for him before he potentially leaves anyway.

He may not be the only one on the move, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Thursday that Victor Oladipo is "absolutely available" and perhaps even for "cheap."

Tucker, who is averaging 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, is less of a game-changer than Oladipo, but he is a playoff-tested veteran who could fill an important secondary role for a contender.

He is a physical defensive presence who can guard multiple positions while battling for boards. He is also someone who can extend his game beyond the three-point line and pose as a matchup problem for opposing bigs when he is anchoring the frontcourt in small-ball lineups.

That is what Tucker did on previous Rockets teams alongside James Harden and Chris Paul, and he surely hopes to do the same for a contender this season.

Houston has to trade him first.

Houston Rockets point guard John Wall will not play Thursday's game against the Sacramento Kings because of a left knee contusion.

Ben DuBose of USA Today reported the news, noting his status for Friday's game against the Utah Jazz is uncertain.

The 30-year-old has played 25 games for the Rockets, averaging 21.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He made five All-Star teams from 2014-2018 with the Washington Wizards, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft.

Injuries hindered the end of Wall's Wizards tenure, though. He missed two full calendar years of action before returning to the court with the Rockets.

The Kentucky product's last game before this season was on Dec. 26, 2018. A heel injury kept him out for the remainder of the season, and he missed further time after suffering a ruptured Achilles following a fall at his home in February 2019.

Wall missed the first two games of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 protocols that mandated he stay in a seven-day quarantine due to contact tracing. He then missed an additional five contests (beginning Jan. 14 against the San Antonio Spurs) with left knee soreness. Wall returned before January ended and has also missed two games since for rest on Feb. 3 and Feb. 8.

Ultimately, Wall is a considerable loss for the Rockets as they seek to snap a 13-game losing streak. 

Houston will hope to get its floor general back on Friday against the Jazz. 

Contenders looking for an impact player at the trade deadline reportedly could have a two-time All-Star for "cheap."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo is "absolutely available" and could "go cheap" (around the 2:35 mark).

Windhorst noted the Indiana University product would be a rental player on an expiring contract. What's more, the 11-23 Rockets don't look like contenders and would likely be motivated to get anything in return for Oladipo as they look toward the future.

Oladipo has already been traded once this season from the Indiana Pacers to the Rockets as part of the four-team deal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.

He is averaging 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting just 39.9 percent from the field. That number is just 38.7 percent during his time with Houston.

There was a time when the 28-year-old was one of the best two-way players in the league as a two-time All-Star who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award as a third-team All-NBA selection in 2017-18. He was also an All-Defensive first-team player that same season while helping the Pacers push the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the playoffs.

However, Oladipo played just 36 games in 2018-19 and 19 games in 2019-20 as injuries forced him off the court.

He is back on the court this season but still looking to rediscover his All-NBA form.

Perhaps another change of scenery will help him do just that, as it appears he may very well be moved prior to the March trade deadline.

As the Houston Rockets' losing streak stretched to 13 games before the All-Star break, rival front offices increasingly wondered whether new general manager Rafael Stone will launch an earnest rebuild and turn his team into a seller before the March 25 trade deadline.

"They're starting to call teams," said one assistant general manager. 

In addition to Houston's most-whispered names, Victor Oladipo and P.J. Tucker, team executives polled by B/R are also curious whether the Rockets will look to move supporting players deeper in their rotation. They're specifically eyeing Houston's cadre of athletic, two-way wings like Danuel House Jr., Ben McLemore, Sterling Brown and Jae'Sean Tate.

"I keep hearing they're going to fire-sale," said a rival scout.

"Houston's gonna burn the house down," said another assistant general manager. 

A few games after trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in mid-January, the Rockets briefly surged back into the playoff picture, winning six straight games to get to 10-9. They won the first three of those games without Christian Wood, their marquee free-agency acquisition. 

Then Wood sprained his right ankle for the second time this season. And with Oladipo and John Wall also in and out of the lineup, Houston has since stumbled to the third-worst record in the league.

The Rockets now have all the incentive to sell. 

If their first-round pick falls outside of the top four, they'll send it to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Russell Westbrook trade from 2019. While the Rockets have their own first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, this year's draft class may be their best opportunity to land a blue-chip prospect with the potential to eventually fill Harden's void. 

The Rockets currently have less than a 0.1 percent chance of making it to the postseason, according to ESPN's BPI Playoff Odds. Losing the chance to turn this disappointing season into gold could be detrimental to Houston's rebuild moving forward. 

"Guys in this year's class are way more exciting and impactful," the scout said. "Usually when you're a year away from a draft, you overvalue the high school seniors who will be freshmen. This is the first year in some time—pandemic-related or not—where that's not the case." 

Scouts have been unable to see many high schoolers due to health and safety protocols, which will make the always inexact science of evaluating prospects in both the 2022 and 2023 draft classes far more difficult. 

Questions persist about whether Rockets governor Tilman Ferittta will even be willing to endure a multi-season effort to juice his team's roster with high lottery picks. The franchise has grown accustomed to winning. Its last season below .500 came way back in 2005, when Harden was still in high school. 

"They need two, three years of draft," said a Western Conference official. "They just need to acquire young pieces and see where they go." 

But competing for the postseason was a factor in Houston's negotiations to move Harden, league sources said. The Rockets front office is considered to be lower on Caris LeVert than others, and Houston brass also did not feel Jarrett Allen would be a clean frontcourt match with Wood, sources said. A part of the Rockets' calculus for landing Oladipo instead of LeVert and Allen was his purported greater impact on contending for the playoffs. 

Choosing Oladipo over LeVert and Allen also steered Houston down the path of a potentially pricey contract extension.

The two-time All-Star recently declined a two-year, $45.2 million extension with the Rockets, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, and league executives polled by B/R have suggested that Oladipo is looking for a maximum salary over a long-term deal. That may ultimately cloud Oladipo's market if the Rockets were to look to move him. He has long been linked to South Beach, and he spent much of his rehab from his quadriceps tendon injury in Miami.

"Miami's the one you always hear," said another rival scout. 

But the Heat, just like other contenders such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, are limited by what future draft capital they're allowed to move. And the New York Knicks are the only other potential Oladipo suitor that has truly been rumored thus far, sources said. It remains to be seen how seriously New York will pursue him.

If the Rockets don't move Oladipo before the deadline, a sign-and-trade over the offseason appears to be the most likely outcome. Few executives expect the Rockets to commit long-term money for the centerpiece of their return for Harden, but they doubt Houston will lose him for nothing in free agency.

"They're too smart to just whiff and get nothing off of him," said the Western Conference official.  

The landscape for dealing P.J. Tucker appears much greener. The Bucks, Nets, Heat, Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets have all expressed interest, sources said. Tucker would relish joining Philadelphia and former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, and the Sixers are one of the few contenders with real picks at their disposal. 

Around the draft, Houston's new front office could have gotten a late 2020 first-round pick for Tucker from Minnesota, league sources said. But Rockets ownership rebuffed moving Tucker at that time, sources said, as they still believed they could keep Harden and build another playoff contender around him.

The Rockets have since been categorized as inconsistent with their asking price on Tucker. There has been a long-whispered rumor of Brooklyn possibly sending Spencer Dinwiddie to Houston for Tucker, and the Rockets are even said to have posed Miami trading either Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson for him. 

For weeks, the Rockets were messaging that they would accept either a first-rounder or three second-round picks, sources told B/R. But Tucker's output has dropped significantly this season. He's shooting only 31.4 percent from three, his worst mark since 2012-13, and he's averaging only 4.6 rebounds one year after hauling in a career-high 6.6 per game.

"If they had a first for him now, he'd already be gone," one general manager told B/R. 

"They're off their asking price," added the Western Conference official.   

Tucker will also turn 36 in early May, yet some around the league maintain he'll net something of return for the Rockets. Aside from no longer feasting off Harden's creation abilities, he's played a different role as head coach Stephen Silas' staff places a greater emphasis on motion in their offense. 

"He's still a physical motherf--ker who can guard 2-5," said the Western Conference official. "I don't think he can guard Dame Lillard for 48 minutes like he did three years ago, but on a game's last possession, he can. Therein lies his value." 

Any team acquiring Tucker will have to consider his impending free agency, just like with Oladipo. He declined a two-year extension that Houston offered him earlier this season, sources said, which was less than $10 million in average annual value. And as salaries have ballooned across the league, this summer may be Tucker's last chance at a significant multiyear deal. 

"No matter where he goes, he wants to get paid," said the Wesern Conference official.

Like Tucker, the bulk of Houston's roster consists of two-way, athletic wings almost tailor-made to support a superstar. All of House, Brown, Tate, McLemore, David Nwaba and Eric Gordon fit that build on paper, although there's little expectation the Rockets will move Gordon, sources said, and Nwaba will now miss six weeks due to hip surgery. Yet many teams could benefit from sending a second-round pick, maybe even two, if they're convinced any of the other swingmen are plug-and-play rotation pieces. House may be particularly appealing, as he's already under contract for roughly $3.9 million next season.  

But how far will Houston be willing to go into a rebuild? The Rockets front office has already made one long-term gamble. 

"I think the Kevin Porter [Jr.] trade was very telling," said one scout. "If we can rehab this guy, maybe he can turn into a player." 

Houston has since recalled Porter from the G League bubble, and he's expected to play significant minutes after the All-Star break, sources said. 

Off-court tension ended Porter's tenure in Cleveland, but he won't turn 21 until May, and he averaged 24.1 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 15 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Houston acquired him for only a top-55-protected 2024 second-rounder.

"Rafael's a pretty shrewd operator," added the Western Conference official. 

Heading into the trade deadline, rival front offices are curious to learn how Houston's new lead executive will continue to operate. 

"I'm waiting for it all to explode," said an assistant general manager. 

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

The Houston Rockets have reportedly already fielded calls about several of their stars, but Sterling Brown is also expected to be among players who will interest teams around the league ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer provided the update on the Rockets' situation on Monday. 

Brown's defense is likely what is attracting other teams, but the 26-year-old is also having one of his best offensive seasons in his first outing with the Rockets, averaging 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds through 22.3 minutes per game. While his scoring and rebounds are career highs, so is his shooting percentage from three (40.2). 

Through three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, who drafted him in the second round, the 6'5", 219-pound wing appeared in 162 games (starting 12), averaging 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. 

If that's not enticing enough, he's also a cheap option. The Rockets signed the SMU product to a one-year minimum deal. 

The Rockets are just 11-23, having ended the first half on a 13-game losing streak. In an all-but-lost season, their best option would be to move on from any player who would allow them to net a return that would aid in their rebuild, rather than lose them for nothing in free agency next season. That's a situation that could pan out not just with Brown, but with Victor Oladipo and P.J. Tucker, who O'Connor also reported are receiving trade buzz.

For Houston, the time is now—or at least until March 25, the trade deadline. 

Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard-forward Kevin Porter Jr. is expected to make his debut with the Houston Rockets following the All-Star break, the team announced on Saturday.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1368355075471577090

The 2019 first-round pick was traded to Houston for a 2024 second-round pick in late January and has been working his way back to the NBA with a successful stint in the G League as part of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

In 15 games, Porter averaged 24.1 points, 7.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 44.8 percent from the field in 36.0 minutes per contest.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the Cavaliers moved on from the second-year player after he was involved in a screaming match with team officials in January. That followed a felony weapons charge stemming from a single-car crash in November.

A handgun was found in the glove compartment of Porter's Mercedes, but a grand jury declined to indict him after he proved he was unaware of its presence in the car.

"We all want to see Kevin be successful and I still feel that way, so whatever it is that happens in the future for him, I hope nothing but the best for him," Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the trade. "It's part of our responsibility as coaches to give everyone our all and try to make the best of every situation, and I can say that we did that."

The Rockets took things slow with Porter, sending him to the G League to reestablish himself on the court. They also intend to have assistant coach John Lucas guide him, as the coach has "has helped several NBA and NFL players to overcome personal issues to have successful careers," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.

Now he joins a rebuilding Houston club that's placed an emphasis on providing minutes to younger players such as Christian Wood, Jae'Sean Tate and Danuel House Jr.

As Porter continues to improve, there's little holding him back from a fresh start with the Rockets.

Despite being in position to build their long-term outlook with a bevy of future picks, the Houston Rockets aren't motivated to trade their veteran players for draft choices. 

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle on Saturday, the Rockets have "no interest" in tanking by "by trading off veterans to collect assets and losses that could help lottery chances."

The Rockets have already accrued significant assets for the future thanks to the trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. 

That deal gave Houston three unprotected first-round picks from the Nets in 2022, 2024 and 2026, as well as pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027. 

Along with Victor Oladipo, P.J. Tucker is the last significant trade domino the Rockets have to play this season. The 35-year-old is a versatile wing player in the final year of his current deal. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Tucker is likely to be dealt "sooner rather than later."

Even though the 2021 pick swap doesn't seem likely to bear fruit since the Nets currently own the NBA's joint-fourth-best record (24-13), the Rockets are poised to get a great pick in this year's draft anyway. They have lost 13 consecutive games heading into the All-Star break. Their 11-23 record is ahead of only the Minnesota Timberwolves (7-29) and Detroit Pistons (10-26). 

Those unprotected picks and pick swaps in later years could turn out to be great for the Rockets. The Nets are built on a foundation of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Durant and Harden are both over the age of 30. 

Given the current state of their roster and those future draft assets, the Rockets don't have to deliberately tank in order to successfully rebuild their franchise. 

Multiple teams have reportedly expressed interest in Houston Rockets veteran forward P.J. Tucker ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers all have interest in Tucker.

Charania noted that the teams "have sensed a deal could develop sooner rather than later" for Tucker. As of now, the Rockets want a young player in return.

The 35-year-old Tucker is in his 10th NBA season and his fourth as a member of the Rockets.

He has been a key player for the Rockets over the past few years, starting all 32 games he has appeared in this season after starting 72 games last season and 82 games in 2018-19. He is also averaging 30 minutes per game this season, marking the third consecutive year he has averaged at least 30 minutes.

Despite his playing time, Tucker's numbers don't leap off the page. He is averaging 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season while shooting just 36.6 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Tucker has never been a huge stats guy, though, with averages of 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 686 career regular-season games.

His value is more about intangibles, as he is tough, defensively responsible, experienced and versatile.

Despite being only 6'5", Tucker has often played power forward and even some center for the Rockets in recent years because of their lack of length in the frontcourt. Although it isn't an ideal scenario, Tucker has handled some tough assignments.

All of those qualities make him an ideal target for a contending team in need of some depth and a reliable defensive player off the bench. The Nets, Bucks, Heat, Nuggets and Lakers all have championship aspirations, and any of them could be a good landing spot for Tucker.

The Lakers and Heat played in the NBA Finals last season, the Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals, and the Bucks had the NBA's best record. Meanwhile, the Nets have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference this season thanks to the Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Tucker has four years of experience as Harden's teammate in Houston, so perhaps Harden will vouch for him and make Brooklyn the favorite to land the tenacious veteran.

Any of the aforementioned teams would benefit from Tucker's presence, though, and all of them would present him with a better opportunity to win than a Rockets team that is 14th in the Western Conference at 11-23.