The Houston Rockets are surprising a lot of people with their hot start, and they might make a huge trade to expedite the arrival of contender status.
With rising stars like Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün starting to come into their own as elite NBA players, and with stud role players like Tari Eason filling out the rotation, Houston suddenly looks like a fringe threat in the Western Conference.
No one would seriously consider the Rockets to be contenders this year, though, especially given the strength of the West; that is unless Houston made a blockbuster trade to bring in a veteran superstar without giving up any of their young and talented core.
On Monday, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed such an idea for the Rockets by suggesting that they could trade for Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks.
“With Kelly Iko of The Athletic reporting that the Houston Rockets don't want to break up their young core for Giannis Antetokounmpo, why not pursue another Bucks star instead?” Swartz said.
“Swapping Fred VanVleet and some incentives for Lillard could be a win-win, as the eight-time All-Star would help ignite an offense that ranks just 11th overall despite Houston's 11-5 start.”
While Swartz somewhat glossed over the “some incentives” part of the trade package (it would have to be a massive haul including multiple first-rounders for the Bucks to even pick up the phone), the deal is not impossible if the Bucks continue to look mediocre or worse.
Lillard would likely be rejuvenated going from a stale and aging Bucks roster to the young and hungry Rockets, and his chances at a ring would increase, too.
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