As Houston seeks defensive versatility and vertical spacing, eyeing an athletic wing like Derrick Jones Jr. could provide the veteran depth needed for a deep playoff push.
As we’re in the height of the offseason, it seems impossible to not think of mock trade ideas. It’s just a natural part off the season. The Houston Rockets, however, have one guy who it’s a bit difficult to trade.
While Dorian Finney-Smith’s contract might look a bit deceptive, as covered on Roundtable, it’s actually not hard to work with due to a large dollar amount. There’s just oddly not many similarly sized contracts on the market.
This should change by the end of free agency, making it much more likely for him to be moved near the trade deadline. There is still one name available right now though, and that’s Derrick Jones Jr.
Obviously the Los Angeles Clippers would have to be open to trading him, but it’s worth picking up the phone for. A long and athletic 3&D wing is exactly what every team needs. Only earning $10.5 million helps too.
He's shot right around league average (35.8-percent) on 2.9 attempts per game in LA, making him a respectable, but not great outside threat. He would also be another actual lob threat, which we’ve seen mich since Jalen Green and KJ Martin.
DJJ is a solid and versatile role player to build up the depth of this team in hopes of making it past the first round. Definitely someone I’d hope Rafael Stone is keeping an eye on.
