The Houston Rockets miss Fred VanVleet.
Their veteran point guard, who was a key contributor on the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed last season, tore his ACL over the summer.
And the Rockets’ offense is feeling it right now.
Right now, Alperen Sengun is leading the team in assists with an average of 6.7 per game.
But the 22-year-old center isn’t Nikola Jokic, and can’t be expected to be the lead playmaker on a team with championship aspirations.
Reed Sheppard has upside as a ball handler, but he’s not quite far enough along in his development for head coach Ime Udoka to trust him in crunch time.
Houston needs to do their best to scour the trade market for a veteran point guard, someone who can fill the void left behind by VanVleet.
‘Realistic’ Rockets’ Trade Target for PG
Bleacher Report recently released an article listing realistic and dream trade targets for each team across the NBA, and for the Houston Rockets, both players named are veteran point guards.
For the most realistic trade option, B/R’s Andy Bailey claims Houston should target Los Angeles Clippers point guard Kris Dunn.
“If [lack of true point guard] proves to be a problem for the offense, they may go after someone with a little more traditional point guard experience, and Kris Dunn has averaged 6.2 assists per 75 possessions over his last four seasons,” wrote Bailey.
“If the Rockets want to avoid Tari Eason’s upcoming free agency (a result of failing to reach a rookie extension with him), his contract alone could get a deal done.”
This trade would have the Rockets ship youngster Tari Eason to the Clippers in exchange for Dunn, giving Los Angeles an injection of youth to their veteran-heavy roster.
Dunn was a major contributor to the West’s No. 5 seed last season, holding the Clippers’ point guard position down with savvy veteran play and lock-down defense.
He would fit in seamlessly in Houston, as he wouldn’t be asked to handle any of the scoring workload.
All Dunn would have to do is orchestrate the offense, distribute, and play defense, something he would most certainly be comfortable with.
‘Dream’ Rockets Trade Target
In the best-case scenario for the Houston Rockets, the Boston Celtics would cut ties with their championship-winning point guard, Derrick White, and reunite him with his former coach, Udoka.
“Things would have to be going horribly for Boston, and other moves would have to have them within a $1 million of the luxury-tax line, but Houston could use VanVleet’s contract (and one other minimum deal) to help the Celtics save a little more money in a Derrick White trade,” continued Bailey.
“That’s an awful lot of dominoes that would have to fall for this one to happen.”
Crazier things have happened, though, and with Jayson Tatum’s return still murky, Boston may be a seller come the February trade deadline.
If White is made available, the Rockets should pounce on the opportunity.
The former 29th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has been the Celtics’ glue guy since joining the team.
His ability to play the point is just the cherry on top; his three-and-D contributions would create one of the scariest starting fives across a loaded Western Conference.
If a trade for White is on the table, the Rockets should stop at nothing to acquire his services, even if it means parting ways with draft capital and young players.
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