u/Shoddy_Ad7511

After this latest Denver trade it is obvious the owners don’t want to pay big luxury tax and want to rebuild. Jokic should request a trade. He is on a different timeline.

Rockets receive: Jokic

Denver receives: Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr and a crapload of picks

Why the Rockets do this? It is fricken Jokic that’s why. Jokic with KD seems like a perfect pairing.

FVV, Amen, Tari, KD and Jokic is a killer starting lineup. With Adams, Reed, Smart and Bogdan off the bench.

Why does Denver do this? They get a 2x All Star 24 year old center to build around. They get a 6’10” 3 and D wing. Plus an absolute haul of draft capital.

The Rockets picks available:

27 Swap rights with Nets

27 Suns pick - zero protection

28 first round

29 - most 2 favorable 1st round picks of Mavs, Suns or Rockets

30 first round

31 first round

32 first round

33 first round

With the NBA allowing Ballmer to cheat the rules to gain an unfair advantage.

The NBA is entertainment not a true competitive sport. We have had gambling and ref controversy. But those took a bit of believing conspiracy. But this clear cut salary cap circumvention is indisputable evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the league doesn’t care about a level playing field.

To be honest I’ll probably stop being a serious fan. Why should I when I know this isn’t even real? I’ll watch it like how I watched pro wrestling. Mindless entertainment.

Saw it at Specs Brodie yesterday at the front wall. Also ER10 and Weller 12 and 107. I didn’t buy any of them 😂 these will be shelfers very soon

After leaving the Cavs in 2010 he perfectly executed the 4 Year Boom Bust cycle to extract championships. He was successful 3 times with 3 franchises. I can’t think of another player who did this so efficiently.

Step 1: Join a team with 2 other All NBA players

Step 2: Trade away all future draft picks and young players to boost the roster with win now players.

Step 3: Win a championship or two

Step 4: Once the franchise is completely stripped of assets leave and repeat Step 1

It is amazing he did this same routine in Miami, Cleveland and LA.

The only difference was in LA the front office took control after year 3 and refused to trade away all their assets to win now.

This method is so powerful because essentially Lebron was able to play on a super stacked win now team for 11 out of 12 years in a row. Would have been 12 out of 12 if the Pelicans weren’t so stubborn about not trading AD.

Regardless using this method he could go all in but not face the music. He went all in for 4 years in Miami. But instead of having to suffer from a rebuild he just moved to greener pastures. He was able to benefit from Win Now trades without ever having to suffer the consequences in the future. He repeated the same method in Cleveland and LA.

Pure genius

I think Bruce will have an immediate positive impact with the Rockets. Will he start? No. Will he be in the top 8 of the rotation? Probably not. But I think he will get minutes when FVV misses games and spot minutes even when FVV is playing. I can easily see him as the 9th man by Christmas.

Why will he make an instant impact?

He is mature. He will be 23 this year

He is built like a running back. He won’t get bullied on offense very easily.

He already is a 3 level scorer. He isn’t afraid to shot threes, midrange or at the rim. He won’t be super efficient at first but he has the skill to get there.

He isn’t afraid. Guy exudes confidence.

Cam Thomas. In the 2024/2025 seasons he averaged 24 points per game on 57.5% TS.

The guy is a legit scorer.

He shot 88% FT and 35% from 3 on 8 attempts. The previous years he shot 36.4% and 38.3%. He also has a great midrange jumper and can create off the dribble.

The guy will be 25. People say he is too arrogant and has a bad attitude. That gets fixed real quick when he is one foot out of the league.

Rockets would only need to pay him the minimum. I think it is worth the risk. Rockets desperately need more shot creation and shooting. This is a guy who can score 50 if he gets hot.

Cam also respects KD. Cam was a rookie with KD in Brooklyn. I think he will listen to KD and play team ball.

And if Cam goes out of control? Cut him. It is only a minimum contract.

I think it is worth the risk reward

Guy is absolutely ruthless as far as contract negotiations go. This gives the Rockets a massive advantage. The 2nd apron is so punishing that cost control is paramount. Just look at the Celtics trading away Brown for pennies on the dollar.

Jabari - big discount

Sengun - big discount

KD - big discount

Tari - big discount

The big test will be Amen. If Stone can sign Amen for significantly less than the max.

We got guys like AD, Booker, Tatum, Brown and Towns pushing $60 million salary next year. While KD is making $43M and Sengun $35M.

Bari making $24M and Tari $14M.

Rockets had very bad luck last year. They lost FVV for the entire season. Adams missed the last half of the season. Rockets didn’t have a single experienced point guard. Sengun was gassed after playing in FIBA.

Rockets got hard capped at the 1st apron so it was very hard to make any moves.

DFS was more injured than expected. Missed the first half of the season and basically was a zero. Capela looked old.

Houston had the worst bench in the NBA.

FVV $25M

Adams $14M

DFS $13M

Capela $7M

That is basically $60,000,000 in salary that was dead money.

And yet the Rockets still won 52 games.

With better injury luck the Rockets will surprise next year.

Starters: FVV, Amen, Bari, KD, Sengun

FVV will make a huge difference. Teams can’t target any of the perimeter players. FVV will be a great double team breaker to help KD. The turnover problem will be decreased. Amen can play his natural position. KD can play his natural position.

I expect Amen, Bari and Sengun to make a jump.

Bench: Smart, Reed, Tari, Adams, Bogdon, DFS, Thorton

I can see Reed playing more shooting guard with Smart playing point. Reed could make a huge jump. Tari also. Hopefully Adams comes back healthy. Bogdon adds shooting.

Thorton will surprise with his maturity and strength

DFS? I think he will be fully healthy and that will make a difference. I see him shooting in the 36-37% from 3.

Another key is the Rockets can make moves during the season. They have tons of valuable picks and enough salary to make deadline moves.

Are they the favorites in the West? No. But things happen. Wemby could get hurt. SGA could get hurt. Who knows. No one thought the Knicks were going to win.

Not saying they need to be desperate but this could be an excellent opportunity.

Let us be real. No matter what Houston does this year and next their chances of winning a championship is very very small.

Stone should call the Warriors to see if they want KD. It is very likely Lebron is going to the Warriors.

Trade possibility:

Warriors receive: KD, DFS

Rockets receive: Butler, 2 unprotected First round picks and 2 swaps. Picks are negotiable but that is the starting point.

Why Warriors do this: Go all in for Curry, Lebron and KD for the next 2 years. Giving up picks hurt but they shouldn’t be lottery picks the next couple years.

Why Houston does this? Get more lottery balls for the 27 draft. Plus more picks. Butler is an expiring so not terrible. Get off of the terrible DFS contract.

Chance for the young core to take leadership. Rockets will have a crap load of high value picks. Give the young core time to blossom and develop.

2 unprotected First rounders and 2 swaps is a massive haul. But even 2 first rounders a swap would be great.

Trailblazers literally have 4 point guards that will play big minutes next year: Lillard, Scoot, Ja and Jrue.

Houston should make an offer to trade DFS and a couple 2nd rounders for Scoot Henderson. Scoot has been disappointing but I think he might have some potential. This would be his 4th year. He is an expiring contract so it isn’t a huge risk.

I think Scoot is big enough to guard shooting guards. So you could play him without hurting Reed’s minutes. I don’t think Thorton will be ready to be a rotation piece next year.

FVV might be broken. We need another point guard.

Just heard that FVV not only tore his ACL but also his meniscus. His rehab hasn’t gone as well as expected and might not even play for the first month.

Seriously

I’m so done with FVV. I am sure he is a decent guy but I’m tired of him holding the team hostage. His injury might literally be career ending. He will be 33 next year.

Rockets paid him $25 million last year to do nothing. Rockets paying him $25 million again this year and might not even be a rotation player anymore.

I wish we could have traded him last year. It would have been nice if FVV just did the Rockets a solid and waive his NTC. He knew he wasn’t going to play last year and knew his injury was so serious that it could be career ending. Just let the Rockets trade him to a tanking team with picks and he could retire.

Rockets have overpaid this man for YEARS. And then last year gave him $50 million. The least he could do was allow the Rockets to trade him. He still gets his money and still has the option to opt in to his $25 million this year.

Suns look ripe to drop off hard next year. I think they don’t even make the play in. I think the Warriors and Jazz will overtake them. That gives Houston 3 lottery balls.

Nets look even worse. But I think they dodge the bottom 3 and also get 3 lottery balls.

I will assume Rockets make the playoffs and get no balls for themselves.

With 6 balls the Rockets have these odds:

16.2% chance of winning the lottery

34.5% chance of getting a top 2 pick

49% chance of getting a top 3 pick

62% chance of getting a top 4 pick

73% chance of getting a top 5 pick

It is even possible the Rockets get TWO top 5 picks. Possibly even the first 2 picks.

Rockets CANNOT trade the 27 Nets swap and 27 Suns pick.

Top prospects:

Tyran Stokes

A 6-foot-7 point forward, Stokes is a powerful, fluid athlete who can get into the paint on his own, play in transition and has terrific vision setting up teammates. He has the size and agility to be a good defender, and is a developing perimeter shooter. If things break correctly for him, he has All-Star potential. His ability and positional archetype help create a slight separation from the rest of the class, but he has quite a bit of work to do to set himself apart as a consensus top pick. (Source ESPN.com)

Jordan Smith Jr

Smith is an explosive, high-energy guard who can get downhill in a hurry and excels at disrupting plays on the defensive end. He appears ticketed for plenty of point guard minutes at Arkansas, and how he handles that responsibility will determine whether he can make a real No. 1 case.

Caleb Holt

Holt may have the highest floor of any player in the incoming freshman class. He is a hard-nosed, physical perimeter player who contributes in all areas of the box score, plays a tenacious style and has developed his guard skills. He has the size and length to guard multiple positions, rebounds well and brings energy.

Bruce Branch

Branch has all the tools to be an excellent NBA player, with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and an excellent frame with room to add muscle. He's a capable shooter from range but is still developing as an all-around scorer. When fully engaged defensively, his size, length and lateral agility make him extremely difficult to score on.

First off Brown isn’t worth the 3 year $180M deal he is on. Thus I will not be giving up a ton of assets and picks for him. In many ways this is a salary dump by Boston. With Tatum and Brown they have 2 guys making $60M+ a year. That is untenable with the current CBA and 2nd apron.

I am offering this deal. Take it or leave it Boston.

Rockets receive: Jaylen Brown, Hugo Gonzalez

Celtics receive: Sengun, DFS and Reed. 2027 Phoenix pick, 2028 swap.

That is it.

Boston has the benefit of taking off the massive Brown contract from their books. DFS is a $13M expiring. Sengun is on a value contract and is only 23. Reed is another young asset on a value contract. Phoenix pick could be lottery and the 28 swap is a nice extra.

This is the type of deal that makes it worth it to trade for Brown.

FVV, Amen, Brown, KD and Bari is an interesting small ball starting lineup. On the bench you have Tari, Gonzalez and Adams. Definitely would need to add a couple more rotation players.

But giving up just 1 pick and 1 swap the Rockets have a ton more picks to make more deals.

With the Austin Reeves deal it is basically a lock Amen is getting a max deal. It is the reality of the current environment. Would you pay Amen the max or let him walk? Because if Houston doesn’t offer the max someone else will.

People say look at Sengun. But Sengun wasn’t a high draft pick like Amen. Sengun is not top 3 athlete in the NBA like Amen. Teams would be to tempted to sign Amen who is a decent jumpshot away from being an All Star 2 way stud.

Houston basically will max Amen. They will probably sign Tari to a 4 year $85 million deal.

Roster is getting mighty expensive and the Rockets still have a bunch of holes to fill.

Basically Ant makes about the same as Sengun and Amen combined next year. Ant will be 25 next year.

I would trade a crap load to get Ant. He is already a top 7 player in the NBA at 24. He will only get better. He is a legit #1 to a title team. Ant is a sure thing. Sengun might never develop a 3 point shot, never become an efficient scorer or a decent defender. Amen may never develop even a 29% three point shot.

Houston has a ton of picks:

27 Suns

27 Nets swap

28 Rockets

29 - Dal/Phx/Rockets - best 2

30 Rockets

31 Rockets

32 Rockets

That is 8 picks and 4 of them are non-Houston picks/swaps that could easily be lottery.

I think I would be willing to trade 4 first round picks for Ant. That still leaves Houston with 4 first round picks in the next 6 years.

Rockets receive: Ant

Timberwolves receive: Sengun, Amen, 4 first round picks

Houston starters: FVV, Ant, KD, Bari, Adams

Bench: Reed, Tari, DFS

The starting lineup would be 4 shooters and Adams. KD as a #2 option will be nuts.

Would still need more depth. Could trade one of the 1st round picks and Capela/DFS for a center like Miles Turner. Rockets still have the tax payer MLE to get another solid rotation piece like Kelly Oubre or Gary Trent.

FVV, Ant, KD, Bari, Tari, Adams, Reed, Turner, Trent

Now that the Giannis trade is over. I think the Rockets should stop with the 2 timeline strategy and just focus on their young core of Sengun/Amen/Bari. KD is a good player but he doesn’t fit the timeline. And culturally the social media burner stuff has left a bitter taste.

I think a trade to Miami makes sense for all parties. Miami obviously wants to win now and the Rockets can focus on developing their young core.

Heat receive: KD and DFS

Houston receives: Davion Mitchell, Wiggins, Jovic, 2028 1st swap and 2029 1st.

Why Houston does this: Get a valuable draft pick and swap. Mitchell is a quality point guard. Wiggins is a solid wing who can start for KD. Jokic is a 6’10” skilled player at 23 years old with a high ceiling. Also they shed the terrible DFS contract.

Why Miami does this: complete their big 3 of Giannis, KD and Bam. They obviously are in win now mode after the Giannis trade.

I see this as a win win for both organizations

For the Rockets to have the best chance of winning the championship in the next 2-3 years they need to get a top 5 player like Giannis.

Rockets receive:

Giannis

Ryan Rollins

Bucks receive:

Sengun

Amen

DFS

27 Suns pick

27 Nets swap

28 Rockets swap

29 Dal/Suns swap

Why Bucks do this: get 2 young possible future All Stars to jump start the rebuild. DFS is an expiring contract. Get 3 first round picks and 1 swap. Losing Rollins hurts but the move is needed for Houston to balance their roster. Without Rollins Houston will not give up Amen. All these assets from Houston fit for a rebuild that will take 3-4 years.

Why Rockets do this? To win now. To maximize the last few years of KD being a top 10 player in the NBA. To win before the Spurs become undeniable. Pairing a top 5 guy like Giannis and a top 10 guy like KD is a great foundation. Ryan Rollins gives you an additional shooter and ball handler.

Yes it hurts to give up on Sengun and Amen. But let us be frank. There is absolutely no guarantee that either develop a good 3 point shot. And if that is the case they will never be a core for a championship team. Sengun and Amen were never a good fit.

Of course Houston needs to make additional trades to build out the team. But this is a start to a great foundation. Houston still has assets even after the trade: 29 pick, 30 pick, 31 pick and 32 pick.

Houston starters:

FVV

Tari

KD

Bari

Giannis

Sure there is no true center. But this is a 4 out lineup with Giannis attacking the rim. Plus you got three dudes who are basically 7 footers and Eason at 6’8”. This is a GREAT defensive lineup that has great length and switchability. The offense will be high powered because teams can’t double KD and Giannis at the same time because there is too much shooting.

Bench:

Reed

Rollins

Adams

Two great shooters plus a stout center. Again Rockets would need to make more moves to fill out the roster. Need to get another center and another wing. But with Giannis and KD the Rockets would be an attractive team for vets who want to win.

Rockets will also have the MLE to sign a quality player. They have the Capela contract to make another trade. Could Davidson develop to a solid backup PG?

This trade fixes alot of the problems the Rockets had last year.

More shooting and spacing: KD, Bari, Tari, Reed, FVV and Rollins

More ball handler: FVV, Rollins and Giannis is actually a really good at attacking from the top of the key.

More shot creation and efficiency: Giannis is 10x the shot creator with efficiency than Sengun. He will command double teams and score with volume and efficiency. Rollins is a great shooter and will add a ton of spacing unlike Amen. Over all defensively they should be better with Giannis/Rollins instead of Sengun/Amen.

Rockets will have more lineup versatility.

2 big with Adams, Giannis, KD, Reed and FVV

Who says no.

Spurs receive: KD and Capela

Rockets receive: Fox, 2027 Atlanta pick and 2029 Spurs 1st round pick

Why Spurs do this: get off of Foxes $220 million contract for the next 4 years. Get an elite scorer to help Wemby in the 4th quarters. Also gives Spurs a PF with height.

Why Rockets do this: push timeline back a few years and 2 more shots to land a future star. Getting 2 more 1st round picks in the next 4 years is great. Also gives Houston another quality point guard.

Why are Spurs hesitant: giving up on 2 first round picks is expensive for 2-3 years of a great scorer. But they are also making room for Harper to get more playing time and Fox making $62 million in 2029 is nuts. First round picks are valuable but Spurs window to win is NOW.

Why Rockets hesitant: lose their best player and scorer. Fox contract the next 4 years is expensive. But Rockets do need a point guard and the 2 draft picks allow them to reload without blowing up the team. KD is good but not good enough to make the Rockets contenders.

Be patient with the young core of Amen, Reed, Tari, Bari and Sengun. All 20-24 years old. In 3-5 years they will be in their prime.

Now add an abundance of 1st round picks:

27 Hawks (from Spurs)

29 Spurs

27 Suns

27 Nets swap

28 Rockets

29 Suns swap

29 Mavs swap

30 Rockets

31 Rockets

32 Rockets

Can use those picks to draft the next star or trade for a guy like Ant.