A blockbuster trade proposal pairs two icons in Houston, but sacrificing a promising young core for aging, injury-prone superstars could jeopardize the Rockets' long-term championship aspirations.
With the Houston Rockets being eliminated from the playoffs a couple weeks ago, they’re one of the many teams already looking forward to next season. While no roster changes will happen for about another month, there’s still plenty of mock trades to look at.
One such proposal completely reshapes the Rockets’ team in an interesting way. Jed Katz outlined a deal where Houston lands Kawhi Leonard, per SportsIllustrated.
The gist of the deal is sending Şengün, Sheppard, and DFS in exchange for Kawhi and Isaiah Jackson. The Clippers would also receive a 2027 first round pick and two second rounders.
Right away, I’m not a fan of that at all. It’s really committing to a path that I wouldn’t agree with. It’s not like the West is wide open and free for any team to make the finals. There’s some pretty good competition.
Houston would be losing a young two time All-Star and two rotational players. While Finney-Smith had an underwhelming season, you’d hope he could get back to contributing on the court. Reed Sheppard is still a high lottery pick who has shown plenty of skill though.
There’s people who think he’s the best young player on the team, and he’s barely even played one real NBA season.
I don’t think it’s right to abandon the young guys at this point, especially for a guy who might only play half of the season. The Clippers already tried to get older stars together and it never worked out. Learn from their mistakes and avoid this kind of move.