Rockets enter trade deadline at 8-2 in last 10 games

The NBA’s in-season trade deadline is this Thursday, and the Rockets are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

So, is Houston (31-17, No. 4 in 2025-26 Western Conference) more or less likely to make a move? In our latest full show, Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves break down the pros and cons, including maximizing the Kevin Durant window while ensuring that the 2026-27 team is still set up for success.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Rockets fans, Welcome to The Rockets Launch Pod, an exclusive
podcast from the home of the Rockets, Sports Talk seven
ninety Red Nation. Get Ready, Ready, Get Ready. The Rockets
Launch Pod starts now. Welcome aboard, Welcome in to another

(00:49):
new episode of The Rockets Launch Pod, presented by Clutch Fans.
I'm Ben Jubo's He's Palo Alves, and tonight we're going
to be discussing the recent results for the Rockets, as
well as the potential imp locations for the NBA's end
season trade deadline of this Thursday at two pm Central.
So a couple housekeeping items off the top. If this

(01:09):
episode sounds a bit less polished than usual, we're doing
only very minimal editing. We're recording this on Tuesday night,
the third of February, and the deadline is only about
forty hours away on Thursday afternoon. So the longer we
take to get this out, the more time there is
for something we say to get outdated. And even if
it's not that, there's just less time for our audience

(01:32):
to find and listen to the episode before the deadline
if we wait. Also, I'm traveling this week, so I
can't guarantee that my hotel Wi Fi connection is as
good as it usually is at home. I hope it is,
but no promises. I will promise that we will have
better production value in future episodes once I'm back in
Houston and things are less time sensitive. And then one

(01:54):
last disclaimer. Powell and I are going to have a
three way postgame show with Dave Hartesy of Clutch Fans
on Saturday afternoon once that nationally televised Rockets Thunder game
is completed. We'll post an episode here on this podcast channel,
but you can also listen live on the Clutch Fans
YouTube page. And then on that show, beyond just reaction

(02:14):
to that game, we'll also have reaction to the trade deadline,
since it will have officially passed only about forty eight
hours before. So we're going to try and be a
bit quicker today in this preview show, and then we
can follow up with some more analysis after the fact
to try and add more context as to what does
or doesn't happen. All right, with disclaimers are the way

(02:36):
let's get into today's show. The good news is what's
happening on the basketball court the Rockets. They've won their
last three games over Atlanta, Dallas, and Indiana. That's improved
them to thirty one and seventeen on the year, and
they're actually eight and two in their last ten games.
If you look at the top eight seeds in the
West as of Tuesday, that eight to two mark from

(02:57):
the Rockets is at least two games better than every
other team in the top eight over that span, so
Houston's definitely making up some ground in the standings. They
are still number four in the West, but they're now
tied in the lost column with the Nuggets and only
a game backup the Spurs. Houston has fewer games played
than most teams, but that is going to change in
the nearer future. The Rockets have a home back to

(03:19):
back this week against the Celtics and Hornets on Wednesday
and Thursday, and then they've bet another one next week
against the Clippers, So for better or for worse, the
total of overall games that's about to catch up. But
as far as the key takeaways from their recent play
on the balance, you shouldn't ever complain about winning eighty
percent of your games in a decent sized sample. Keep

(03:41):
in mind, the Rockets were just coming off a stretch
where they went ten to ten and twenty games, so
it's definitely improved. They're playing harder on defense, which you
know imy Udoka loves. They're executing better in close games.
Jabari Smith Junior, he's bounced back after going through that
deep slump in early January. There's lots of good signs.

(04:02):
But with all that said, there is at least a
small sense of unease with the fan base. And I
understand why. It's not about the amount of games they've
lost lately. I think it's about how they've lost because
since the middle of January, you had two home games
against the top two seeds in the West, the Thunder
and the Spurs, and they both followed a very similar formula.

(04:27):
Both were there for the taking entering the fourth quarter,
and then you just couldn't generate any sort of half
court offense at all when it truly mattered. And then
in between those games, you also lost at Philadelphia when
you led by eight with about five minutes left and
seven with about three minutes left, and it was a
very similar story. Now, I'm not saying the Sixers are

(04:47):
to the level of the Thunder or the Spurs, but
when they have tyre smaxy andel Embiid, both playing both
healthy and especially at home. I do think they're a
very good team, and so for me, I was I
wouldn't call myself angry in the aftermath of those games,
because to me, they were understandable losses. You know, it

(05:08):
wasn't like when the Rockets choked away big leads this
time a month or so ago to the Kings and
the Pelicans, and it felt like you just weren't trying
hard enough and you sort of disrespected the game. Those
were games that I was livid after because the Rockets
just let all of us down, and I think they
would admit that they let themselves down. No, in these

(05:28):
they were trying and they just got out executed. It happens.
But it was at the same time very sobering that
on nights, when you knew the Rockets were dialed in,
they simply weren't good enough. That's at least how it
felt to me, And I think that's especially the case
because deep down entering this season, at least after they

(05:49):
lost Fred Denfleet to the torn acl in September, we've
all had a very similar fear, that underlying sense of dread,
what's gonna happen with the half court offense when you
really need to score against Daldon opponents. And it dates
back to last season because that's what held the Rockets back.
They were very good to even great defensively, but they

(06:12):
were mediocre on offense at best, and worse than that
in the half court. Now, in the offseason you did
add Kevin Durant, but then once you subtract the floor
general and Fred, some of those fears are going to
start to create back in. You don't have a point
guard a floor general to get you organized. And then
you look at the coaching Imai or Joka. It's proven
he's an elite defensive coach, I think that's safe to say.

(06:35):
But offensively, at least to this point, it's a little
more of a mixed bag. And then last week we
also got the bad news that Steven Adams he's out
for the year with his severely strained ankle, which did
end up requiring surgery. We talked a lot on this
show about how important Stephen is as a floor razor
on defense, but he also helps really steady your offense

(06:55):
with how elite he is at offensive rebounds and giving
you second third, even opportunities. So relative to the formula
that we thought this team had when this roster was
put together last offseason, when you brought back most of
the rotation aside from Dylan Brooks and Jalen Green, Well,
now if you take out both friends Steven and DFS

(07:18):
is still a partial participant, it's a pretty big hit
to the formula. And then if you end up losing
to the two top teams in the West in much
the same way by not generating enough offense, it's unsettling.
I get it. And so you flash forward to this week.
We're a couple of days from the trade deadline, and
in theory, it's exciting. In theory, it's a chance to

(07:41):
address any deficiencies that your roster may have. But then
you also have to balance that. If you're rafel Stone,
you have to consider not just this season, but next
season and future years and the blueprint for what they
hope is a sustainable contender led by the likes of
him and Thompson, all Frinch and Good and Read Shepherd.

(08:02):
So there's a lot that goes into it, and we'll
try and unpack it, not just on today's show, but
our deadline recap later in the week as well. Anyway, Paolo,
I'll bring you in here. The results have definitely improved
the past couple of weeks, nobody can deny that. But
there's also that sense of unease with the way they've
lost some of those bigger games and now knowing that

(08:24):
neither Fred nor Stephen is coming back to rescue you. Well,
I guess Bred still theoretically could, but I think you
take that as a bonus, Ippy somehow it does you
certainly don't set it as the expectation. Just overall, Polo,
how are you feeling about this specific team and its
ultimate potential given the results in the last couple of
weeks and as we head into the final hours before

(08:46):
the trade deadline.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, I think it's tough, and I think it kind
of dies into each other, which is, well, how much
of a contenter can it fully be when you have
what's effectively now Fred doesn't come back forty million worth
of death guy, Right, guys are not going to come back.
And to be fair, the thing was built with a

(09:08):
lot of depth and with the perspective that well, perhaps
not these guys. These guys were not the ones that
were expected to be injured like you you probably like
they built a lot of depth on the wings because
you know kV studies seven and he had been kind
of injury prone in the last three years. Stari's obviously
coming off of two rough years due to injury, and

(09:28):
they had a lot of I guess a bigger kind
of security blanket when it comes to those positions. But
still even as a deep team, right, the guys that
they did lose are guys that bring stuff that nobody
else could bring. Like if you lost Our Reason would
have been rough, but Stardian finished Smith, assuming he plays

(09:48):
a little bit better. He hadn't shown it yet, but
in theory, you could, you know, you know, you could
get eighty percent of Star Reason with our in Phinis
Smith Tema Adams to a lesser extent than Fred. But
Capella doesn't give you eighty percent Steven Adams, he gives
you like fifty, you know, on a good night like
Quint just Dire's a type of play, the offensive rebounding

(10:11):
still that he still gives you some of that, obviously
not to the same extent, but the connective passing that
Steven Adams did, the insane screen setting that Steven Adams
gave you the seemingly great toucher on the rim that
Steven Adams seems to have or seems to have now,
the free throw percentage. You know, Quint's at a point
that like wholly unconfident that he can make any shot

(10:33):
that's not a dunk at this but like he tries water,
sometimes he tries some cook shots way up or stuff
like that's not much their offensive end. So he's in
a very very much a lesser version of Adams, with
way more than if we've lost one of on one
of our wings and Fred's you know what we know
Fred is, you know, we don't have a replacement for him.

(10:56):
Rich Ippard can bring it to some extent, but he's
a rookie, he's inconsistent, in not a rookie, he's a
second year player, he's in consistent, still a young player.
And so it just seems like losing forty mil words
of your cap space for this year or the players
at very key you know, kind of irreplaceable positions kind

(11:17):
of puts a little bit of a ceiling on what
you've seen can be, especially so when it's not like
this is you know, the NFL of this year where
you don't have my homes or you don't have any
super team, and everybody's kind of a nickel on a
nickel flo heading into the postseason. The whim that are
still bad the Thunder are you know on they're not
fully healthy because Leowen Williams is out, but they're gonna

(11:39):
be fully healthy once the season comes and once the season,
once the postseason comes along, the Spurs will see how
this deadline shapes them up. But they seem to be,
you know, on on awards trajectory. But I do think
the Spurs and then it gets kind of on the
same level as the Rockets even without even without Fred
and Steven Adams, and we can, I think we can
put up a fight, but it really, how really, how

(12:01):
competitive do we expect to be over a seven game
playoff series when we're playing the Thunder without those two guys.
And that frames what we've seen those far, and it
frames kind of my thoughts going to the deadline, which is, well,
I guess I'm okay, if you wanna, you know, spend
a couple of second round picks and trade a highlight

(12:24):
the guy like Queenn Coppell or but in Hine Smith
for a guard like plenty of people want to do so,
like you, no, the if the investment these two second
round picks and the potential and the loss of an
asset that or a lot of the loss of what
could be an asset not in Quine Smith and someone
who I don't think is an acid just neutral contracting Capella.

(12:44):
I'm willing to give that up to give this team
a better shot, but I don't think that's gonna push
us over the one and turns us into Tier one
contenders or a team that you could realistically think it's
gonna beat the Thunder in the seven games, see in
a seven game series. Now, while well that things have happened,
but you don't bank real assets on a while that

(13:05):
things have happened shot at winning. It's winning a championship.
So yeah, looking at the past few games, you know,
it just seems like this team like they're winning. Now
that's cool. I think they're winning more than what they
should be winning, just like they were losing more than
what they should be losing a pretty couple like ten
games back when everybody was in crisis. Smoke, Well, we

(13:26):
lost some games that we could have won. You know,
a couple of pounds a different way and we win.
I think this time the opposite is happening as well.
Over this you know stretch of ten games where we
won eight lost two. So oh in a'll just to
say that those variations come and go. It just seems
like the eye test doesn't lie. And you look at

(13:47):
this team when you watch this team play, and it's
just like they can play up or down to the
competition level of basically any team. Like they don't beat
teams convincingly, like you're playing that you're playing the Placers
without Ady's however, and like clears team and they and
they and they hung on for a very long time.
Granted you didn't have KAD, but you do have an
amazing game from openers in noon. That game should not

(14:10):
have been particularly close. So and it's not like it's
a one game thing. It's going to try and throughout
in their season. This team just plays down the competition
and then they don't strike a trolley elite team. Earlier
in the season, it might have you could have made
the case because the offense was just insanely hot and
we could close our eyes to what the defense have been.
The defense has got better, the offense has got dramatically worse,

(14:31):
and so you know, those things even out, But it
just doesn't strike me as a team that you should
invest real assets this being for shorn picks after the
young players into gum this deadline, unless they're trading for
a guy that you think is a piece that fits
here long term. Right, you kind of make the case
to me that Cole White is someone who should resign,

(14:54):
though you'd rather have him than Fred and Vliet next year,
something of the sort. You know, I understand it better
than some other alternatives that costs for some pick, and
I don't think Whit's gonna fetch it for some pick.
But just because the Bulls have kind of cornered themselves
into a studio, you know where they have five point
guards at this point in time, were mid trade buss

(15:14):
to recording this. They have five point guards. Someone's gonna
get bought out and they don't really have the leverage
to extract maximum value. And if you ask me between
giving up Capella and a couple of seconds for Kobe
White and just waiting to see which one of these
guys they cut, because they're gonna cut a tople of
them might be Onerny Simon's You know, these Rockets do

(15:35):
have you know, cats are looking for a point guard
in the buyout market, which there seems to like there's
going to be some there. Rockets are a problems destination
team that clearly needs a point guard that's you know,
probably as much of a content that any of these
guys you need to get in a buyout with as
big of a role as any of these guys are
going to get on a team that actually matters. So

(15:55):
the Rockets are in prime position to get to grab
whoever the best buyout point card is. It seems like
it's shaping up that some decent guy is going to
be there. So why would you really give up you know,
assets for it, especially premium assets, but even assets at all.
Maybe you'd rather keep that powder dry to make a
better move next year's deadline, not giving up on this
team at all. Right, I do think that we have

(16:18):
to be realistic and the ceiling isn't high enough to
warm something like that unless, as I said, you're making
a move for it that you think is going to
be here long term and to put a bowl on
it before a pass it off back to you. I
think two second round picks is not a lot, but
Rockets do not have a lot of sack ground picks,
so it's it's like, okay, it's not a lot of assets,
but it's an asset the Rockets stone house or plus off,

(16:40):
and so that's not prohibitive, but it's uncomfortable, the same
way that trading Capella and not bringing back another big
is not prohibitive. You could do it. It could play
more jobardy Smith at five, you could try some new stuff,
but he is currently your backup center, like your your
your pen center. So if you trade him, you're gonna

(17:02):
have to go search for someone else. So no, one second,
not prohibitive, but also kind of uncomfortable, like who are
you going to get afterwards? You're just kind of fifteen,
you know, we've got a point guard, but then you're
gonna you're gonna have to go find the backup center.
And then with on in Finnish Smith once again not
prohibitive of trading him, but there are a couple of

(17:24):
uncomfortable factors with trading him. But first of all, the
fact that he has a three year deal and he's
not playing up to the money here, he's making not
terribly toxic contact, but could easily get get out of
it if if recause one of it's a four year deal,
but it has an optut after years two. But it's
uncomfortable because of that, like teams going to look at

(17:45):
it as a neutral salary, you're gonna are they going
to them and the extra pick or two to take
him on because of the xtual year of salary versus
an inspiring guy. And then it's also a bit uncomfortable
because well, he's playing so poorly and he's coming off
a pretty massive injury that took him out for a
pretty long amount of time. How much of this is
still rust like we saw We've seen guys come out

(18:08):
of when I come off of injury and take some
time to get to get turning around, so to speak.
And so, well, yes, if you're giving it tor Infinie Smith,
but if you look at what Tarin Phinie Smith has
been the last couple of years while playing through the
injury that sideline that sidelined him, that's a very useful player.
That's a player that's worth tassets. Then that's a player
that's under a very good contract value wise. If he

(18:31):
comes out anywhere close to what that player was back then, right,
So it's not prohibitive. He might like, it's not a
terrible bet to make that he's not going to get
back to that level. But it's also uncomfortable because he
might and he might look like an idiot for trading
him after getting him on that contract, and you know,
turns out you might need someone like him next season
as well. Once again, he was supposed to be kind

(18:52):
of the Dylan Brooks for platam On defense has not materialized.
Once again, all of these small moves have comfortable sides
to them, say, I'm not prohibitive, not the types of
things that I would be like, oh my god, we're
such idiots that we've made them. Most like this don't
feel like that. I feel like there's reasonable argument to
make a move like that.

Speaker 1 (19:13):
Just doesn't.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
I'm not up in arms if nothing gets done, because
if I were in stones place, depending on what's reaching
my desk, I might do the same thing, because you know,
at the very least, it's also uncomfortable to trade for
a guy that's gonna take minutes away from reach Shepherd
if he's not going to move the needle, because you

(19:35):
might as well give read those reps and having hav
him be a stronger player going to the next season.
If you know, the difference is going to be winning
an extra game in a playoff series that doesn't get
you across the line when you're sort of doomed to
loos to the Thunder anyways, because you're just not that
valiable of team when you don't have the massive offensive
rebounding edge that Steven Adams gives you, and you don't

(19:57):
have the massive turnover differential edge that for the it
gives you as well. And you are that volatile shooting wise,
which is what the Rockets are right now, and and
you have a start in Shanguna just had a really
great game, but once at the same time its kind
of slumping. So you know, with all of those things,
if you have all of those ifs, it might be

(20:18):
better to stay the book. That's how I'm feeling it
this moment.

Speaker 1 (20:26):
Yeah, And on the turnover differential point, we should note
that Amen Thompson has gotten much better in recent games
at limiting those, but it's not the same as having
both a men and Fred. And also the schedule has
been relatively weak of late, with you know, a couple
of exceptions against the Thunder and the Spurs. It's not
to get much more difficult for the Rockets moving forward
leading into and out of the All Star break. So

(20:47):
we'll see how that trend of reduced turnovers holds. As
far as the trade downline and implications, Paulo, just a
simply yes or no question for you, if you stay
the course, is your win know more open next year
than it is this year. Keep in mind that next
year you might have some slippage from Kevin Durant, he'll

(21:08):
turn thirty eight years old. Father time stops for no
one yet. Amen Thompson, Reed Shepherd should both get a
decent fit better, perhaps a lot better in Reed's case,
and you're going to be getting two and a half
rotation players starting level players that you don't have right now.
I say two and a half because Fred Steven and

(21:29):
you basically have half of DFS right now. So the KD,
Amen and Read component, you know, perhaps the latter two
ascending the former on the decline, and then adding the
two and a half guys that are injured right now.
My contention is that your championship window, and that's before

(21:51):
we factor in any other moves. They might make. They
have this stockpile of future picks, they can potentially sign
people in free agency. My contention is that, knowing what
we know right now, the window is more likely to
be open next season than this season. Would you agree
with that?

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Well, as I asked for no question, yes, I would
agree with it, just because with these all time breaks, right,
they're gonna be e grades until they aren't, and then
a lot of times you don't have kind of a
crew of them slowing down. But I just think that
Katie's gonna be just as good busy this year next year,

(22:31):
so I don't I don't think that's gonna be any
regression there. And you know, even like there will be
in a much better position, just because a lot of
what I call minor you know, uncomfortable us moving certain
guys by next year. It will all be solved by
next year. If started in Finnish Smith is still playing

(22:52):
to this level, will know it will be an expiring salary,
but we'll know, Okay, this is the guy we can move.
This is twelve million dollars we can move easily. Steven
Adams will see when he comes back that might be
still a question mark. Hopefully you know he's back by
the beginning of the next season, but right at at
this point next year, I don't think he has the
not treade clause anymore. I think that's a result of

(23:13):
the player option, or I think that's a result of
it being a one year deal. I don't quite remember anymore.
But I don't think he's gonna have a notread clause
or a tree veto next year, So you do have
more flexibility with that going into next season, quin Cappella,
you know, if Steven Adams is back, and if you

(23:34):
sign a minimum center in free agency instead of having
you know, the Jeff Green Jan eight types off the bench,
you might be able to more easily back at the
Clint Capella on a bigger salary to to, you know,
make him make a move to get better. At that
point there will be in a better position to make
a move to get better. And to answer your question

(23:54):
straight on, I do think that a man read well,
a man and read for sure will take steps forward.
I don't see a reason to believe any other any
of the other guys are going to get worse. So yes,
I just think that barring something wild happened, there will
be in a better position that should this year. Oh
and yeah for him, I bring it back to you
real quick. I did want, I do want to underline

(24:15):
and reinforce your point on a man fountain and turnovers.
Like he's been taking care of the ball for the
better part of the month. Now, I know you just
have just had a five strodn over game, But like
he's from a playmaking efficiency standpoint, he's been great, So
I don't think that that's an argument at all. But

(24:35):
still better with Fred is he's you know, he's been
efficient with his playmaking, right, but he is still not
at that level of creating advantages like with his mind
with and and you'll hand ball handling up the row
and in the threat of pulling up in all the
space that that generates on your belief ball handler.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
Right.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
So even though he's been efficient with the opportunity that
he does create, it's not like he's creating the volume
of opportunities at fed Wood, in the volume of advantages
that fed Wood on the ball. If he's still the
sampler he.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
Was, okay, So the reason I asked you the question
about this season versus next season, So much of the
discourse at least on my timelines. It just overly simplifies
it into two camps. Either you want them to do
something aggressively now, or you're fine just waiting indefinitely and punning.

(25:33):
And that's not the case. The absolute worst case. We're
talking about next season, the one that begins in October
seven or eight months from now. So we're not talking
about waiting until some indefinite period in the future and saying, well,
we're going to sacrifice a potential run this season for
the sake of some time in the future that that

(25:54):
may not come, and all these hypotheticals. No, all we're
saying is the season that starts in a few months.
When you get these guys back healthy, you're in a
better position for your younger players to develop to make
major moves if you need it in the offseason. We're
not talking waiting and indefinite period. We're talking about the
season that is literally just a few months away. So

(26:16):
let's drop the straw man framing of either you go
all in now or you're punning on the Kevin Durant
era and waiting an indefinite period until the window opens again.
It's not that simple. So that's not to say that
they can't win a championship this year, KD can go
on as twenty eleven Dirk run I've mentioned that comparison before.

(26:40):
Maybe you also get lucky with injuries. You know, last
year the Timberwolves got to the Western Conference Finals because
Steph Curry pulled his hamstring in Game one of that
second round series and he couldn't play the rest of
the way. Otherwise I'm pretty sure a Golden State wins
that series. Maybe the same thing happens with the Thunder
at SGA this year. Not saying I'm pulling for it,
but this stuff does happen in a contact sport. So

(27:01):
you're certainly not saying they can't win a championship this year.
If you have KD, you have a chance. So I
don't agree that punning means they have no chance to
begin with. And I also don't agree that well, you're
just waiting for some you know, mythical time in the
future that nobody can point to. No, we know the time.
It's next year. It's saying that is a better chance.

(27:24):
And so you draw the line between aggressive and reckless.
You can still look aggressively to upgrade this year's team.
If opportunities present themselves, but you shouldn't be reckless, which
is to decrease your odds in a year when they
should be pretty good, to slightly increase your odds in

(27:46):
a year that they're not good to begin with. And
that's that's the needle that I believe for Felstone is
trying to thread. And in the case of you know,
Kobe White, because that gets thrown out a lot. If
you give up Jory Anfhony Smith or Steve Adams at
a future first run pick. I've seen this hypothetical thrown
out so many places. You're giving up a future first

(28:07):
from your stockpile that could be part of an asset
or bigger move down the line, and you're giving up
a quality rotation player, one that I think the Rockets.
I honestly think that if you ask for fell Stone,
Now there's some risk with health, sure, but if they're
healthy and they've got a medical staff that they can
lean on, I think they truly believe that Steven Adams

(28:28):
and Jorian and Finny Smith will be more impactful players
when it comes to winning than Kobe White will next season.
So you'd be giving up potentially the better player and
a first run pick and the firmlier contract. If you
do retain Kobe White out of feeling, it'd be much
more than the twelve million or so in annual value
on short term deals that DFS and Steven are on.
So for a team that's going to get way more expensive,

(28:50):
you're gonna have a max or very close to maxdel
For a men Thompson, you'll be getting a more expensive contract,
potentially a lesser player, and losing a first run pick
all for whatever bump Kobe White would give this year's team.
And personally, I don't see Kobe White as a long
term fit now. I don't want to focus too much
on him because I think the same logic can be
used for a lot of guys. But in the case

(29:10):
of Kobe White, look, you'd have three small guards. It's
tough to play. In my opinion, all three of Fredendvliet,
Kobe White, and Reed Shepherd. And I think the Rockets
believe that, well, Fred will be a better player next season.
People say, well, you know what, will he come back as?
Even if he's eighty percent of what he was last season,
I think he'd still be clearly a better player than

(29:31):
Kobe White. The Rockets firmly believed that last year's team,
the number two seed in the West, fredend Vliet was
the most valuable player. The Rockets firmly believed this. So
even if he's seventy five eighty percent one of these
more dire scenarios, and at this point, he will have
had more than a full calendar year to rehab the
ACL in this scenario where we're talking about next year,

(29:51):
and basically a year and a half by the time
of the twenty seven playoffs, which is what really matters. Yes,
I think he's better than Kobe White, and I think
Reed Shepherd is more of a developmental priority. I think
giving up potentially a better player, a better contract, and
a first round pick all for whatever bump that Kobe
White would give this year's team. And by the way,
he probably decreased Read Shepherd's minutes for this year's team,

(30:13):
and Read's been a huge upside variable. Hopefully he can
get hot again because certainly, you know, a big part
of their decline since December one, they've started to find it,
at least in terms of win loss record in recent games,
so they haven't consistently been as dominant as they were
the first six weeks of the year. Well that was
when you had Reach Shepherd in peak form. And if
you bring in to Kobe White, you're going to be
limiting the opportunities inherently for Reach Shepherd. There's only so

(30:34):
many small guards that you can play, so you're you're
giving up a lot. And in my opinion, it doesn't
really move the needle. Now's if it's the type of
player who does move the needles where the Rockets look
like more of a contender this year, or maybe it's
a Kobe White move in tandem with something else, then Okay,
that's a different conversation. But I guess the way I'm

(30:55):
looking at it is the juice worth the squeeze, And
if you're giving up more or from next year's team
when the windows should be more open, it better moved
the needle for this year's team. And I just don't
think so many of the suggestions do. And you know
one on the higher end, I saw some suggestions today
that oh, the Rockets, if they could get Fred to

(31:16):
sign off on a deal, could use Fred and Read
to go after James Harden, who it appears is on
his way out of LA. You mean to tell me
you're okay with giving up a twenty one year old
Reed Shepherd, a guy who the Rockets believe could be
one of the best offensive players in the NBA one day,
for a thirty six or thirty seven year old James Harden,

(31:38):
a guy you could have had for just nothing but
cap space. He was begging to come here just a
couple of years ago. Now you're willing to give up
a number three overall pick at twenty one years old,
who the team thinks and we've seen glimpses of it,
could be one of the best offensive players in the
league one day. That's just ridiculously reckless. At least with James,
there's a little bit more of a case to be

(32:00):
made that you add him to this year's team and
maybe they could make a run. But then there's even
a greater hit to not just next year, but the
years beyond that. I mean, that trade would aid horribly
when you look a couple of years from now, unless
you win a championship, Unless you literally win a championship,
giving up Reed Shepherd at this stage for James Harden
would look awful. It would look even worse when we

(32:22):
all know James was begging to come back here a
couple of years ago, and it would have cost you
nothing but cap space. Like people are just so desperate
for the adrenaline head of seeing that Chalm's tweet that
the Rockets made an impact move that I think people
are missing the forest for the trees and what bothers
me so much about it? You know? The counter argument

(32:42):
to all of this is Kevin Durant's thirty seven years old.
How much longer can you count on this version of
Kevin Durant? What frustrates me so much? Polow, If that
was the mindset, if it was just about getting one
of the all time greats, which he is, and maximizing
your chances with Kevin in a Rockets jersey. In other words,
that was about Kevin Durant and not about the young core.

(33:03):
The Rockets should have traded for Kevin Durant this exact time,
a year ago. He was on the market at the deadline.
There were already a few reports that he was open
to Houston. We knew Houston needed a top scorer, obviously
his college ties to Texas. If it was just about
Kevin Durant, you could have added Kevin Durant to last
year's team that was already the two seed in the West.
I think you almost certainly would have beaten the Warriors.

(33:26):
So if your whole mindset is just maximize your chances
when you have Kevin Durant because he's Kevin Durant, and
worry about everything else later, then why weren't you pushing
for the Rockets to do whatever it takes to acquire
KAD this time a year ago? Because I don't remember that.
I feel like most people were against Katie because of
his age and said, you know what, if you can
get him cheap, that's fine, we can wait until the summer.

(33:48):
If not, that's fine too. Well. Somehow I think I
think seeing KD in a Rockets Jersey it's sort of been,
you know, a mind fuck. Excuse my language on that,
but it's it's just warped people's minds to where now
they can't see the forest for the trees, like they're
so in love and I get it, like Katie's amazing

(34:10):
to watch, but all of a sudden, the perspective has
changed to where it feels like the consensus is the
Rockets have to do something or they're missing this golden window.
They're doing wrong by Kad. And the reality is the
timeline was and is about the young core. They waited
until the price came down on Kevin Durant to where

(34:30):
he could be an add on to the young core
of a men's shoon reached Shepherd, Jabari Smith, Tarry Eason.
He could bolster their development. You can win a few
more games in the interim, maybe you can tend for
or win a title. But it was never about just
trade for Kevin Durant and immediately open the window, like

(34:51):
say the Lakers acquiring Lebron James, never he joined them
in twenty eighteen or twenty nineteen. The Rockets were never
about Kevin Durant to the extent that the Lakers were
about Lebron James the last few years, or at least
until the Luca trade. And yet that's the way I
feel like the fan base has transitioned. Just watching Kat

(35:12):
for half a year, and to his credit, he's been amazing,
but it feels like everybody has just moved the goalpost
to where now nobody even cares about the young core
that much, and it's just maximized Kat and whatever consequences
there are to the future. Whatever we have, kat will
worry about those another day. And I just think that's
overly emotional and reactionary thinking. It's not compatible with the

(35:33):
way the way fans douwed it a your ago. It's
not compatible with how the Rockets view the situation themselves
when they chose not to trade from this time of
year ago and you know, punted on the opportunity to
add Katie to last season's team for the playoffs or
waiting it out until the price dropped. I guess the
bottom line for me is that to build what the
Rockets want, which is a sustainable contender, it takes a

(35:54):
lot of vision, It takes hard choices, and so many
of the decisions that are being advocate for artist reckless,
and they're moving the goalpost, like to go from passing
on James Harden when all it would have cost you
is cap space, to wanting to sacrifice Reed Shepherd for him,
to giving up important pieces for next season's team and

(36:15):
future first round picks for a moderate upgrade to this
season team, to wanting everything to be about Kevin Durant
and not about the young core and the blueprint of
what they're trying to build for the next ten to
twelve years. It's just very short sighted. I get it.
Kad is amazing to watch, and I would love nothing

(36:35):
more than the Rockets to win a championship this year.
But I do think they have to be responsible. There
are very fine lines here, and I guess I guess
what I would say in closing this rant. I'm not
asking fans to wait indefinitely. All I'm saying is, unless
it's a clear needle moving deal this year, which I

(36:56):
don't think Kobe White is, think long and hard, or
you sacrifice a year that's already or sacrifice a lot
from a year that's already better on paper, especially when
we're talking just a few months later. That's all we're
talking about. So HOWO, I'm curious you spend more time
on Twitter than I do these days? Have you seen
the the same trend? And and what do you make

(37:18):
of it? This sort of pivot that now it feels
like to the fan base, so much of it is
about Kevin Durant as opposed to being about the young core.

Speaker 2 (37:30):
Yeah, so I think there's there's You know, I do
not spend as much time on Twitter as I used to,
but I do think that there's there's a there's a
few things that come together and I'm gonna I'm gonna
kind of touch on a lot of points that you made.
I do think that same people who are saying we
should make a move now are short sighted move now

(37:51):
or whatever you want to call it. Uh, they would
have done the same last deadline. I think they are
the same types of people would have said, oh, we
should have read this little cid last name. Like, I
do think that a lot of it comes from the
perspective of, you know, these these people want a bit
of the Dobamin hit. These people want to go all
in every year because every as as long as well

(38:12):
as I've followed the rockets, every deadline, and perhaps it's
a little bit of left left over from the Mori
era where people expected to move every single time, like people,
even when we were bad, people wanted to short side
that moved, to be short side of moves, to moves
to be made to make the team better.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
Right.

Speaker 2 (38:31):
So I do think that people that the people that
are saying this now would have said the same last year.
So you're your point on on for kV back then, well,
yes you were right, But I don't think that they
moves them or that changes anything for the people who
are defending h win. I'll move now. Then, I think
the the the talking points in the conversation shifts of

(38:51):
it because there's a huge influx of KD only fens
and KD only fans don't give a find you know
what about what the rockets feature prospects are. They want
kd's window maximized now. So I think that's the influx
of people like that kind of shift shifts them the
discourse in that direction as well. And then I mean

(39:13):
you said they should really still wanted to win now
a KD they should have DoD them. They traded for
him half a season before. I mean, I'll make an
easier point than that. If the goal is to win
with KD right now, they should be trading for Yannis.
It's as simple as that, Like if you yeah, if
they want to move the needle now, that's what they
should be doing. So they want to, you know, go

(39:36):
all out with KD, that's what they should be doing. So,
you know, regarding all of the kV part of it,
that's mostly what I have on it. But I do
want to touch on a couple of things that said
before as well. I do not think the Kobe White
price is going to end up as expensive as you're saying.

Speaker 1 (39:55):
I think, I agree, you could get lower and you
could talk me and to you know, your suggestion a
DFS and a couple of first round picks. I mean,
if you're sacrificing just one asset I DFS, but you're
keeping the first I'm more open to that. You know,
my mindset had been, you know, I'm not willing to

(40:16):
sell so low on on any of the injured guys
that you're having to you know, expand future first round
draft capital to move them at this time. But if
it's that low, maybe, But some of the proposals, I mean,
people are thrown around first round picks like like their
Candy Palow. I know you've seen it too.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
No, yeah, one hundred percent. But I do think, and
I'll set out will because we have this converligion before.
I do think that, especially the way the market has
trended now, that Kobe White might be available for some
combination of Psychron picks and a combination of Psychron picks
and or in finished Smith which is selling low on him,
is an investment it's a small investment, and it's kind

(40:56):
of you know, it's kind of when it's kind of
like if you were throwing just you know, a small
part of like your portfolio on a startup, right where
it's like, okay, maybe the sketches fire if I make
like if I make this small investment, you know, I'm
okay losing this money, So let's put it there. Like
That's the way I would see a Kobe White trade

(41:18):
in those terms, right, which is why I'm fine with it,
even though I typically would I typically would not stand
behind and move like that. I would probably rather stay
the course because I'm more or more in the sense of,
you know, if this team's gonna be it's gonna make
a serious sleep or a serious thread to the thunder.

(41:39):
It likely comes through Outlirish a man, development, Rich Shepherd, development, injuries,
stuff like that. I'd rather another rather, you know, have
that as a ceiling. And the four BDS guys are
getting this experience even though these either are not that
you know, they're not first year players anymore. We'll read
the second year player, but a man and the variations.

(42:00):
It's a bit smaller, but you know, I'd be fine making.
It's not like I'll be killing them. If they will
make the first for Kobe White, I'll be killing them
on here next week. The two scenarios is you either
go all out and then make a big move, or
you don't make a move at all, or you make
a very small move around the margins, or you hope,

(42:21):
which I do think is gonna happen. And I don't
think people have settled in to the traits that just happened,
and some more might happen. But the Bolls currently have
like five point guards and just kidding, so it's not
like they're gonna buy out one of them. They're gonna
buy out only two or three. And they have no interest.
They have no interest in resigning Kobe White. That has
been well established. They have Iozu, who which makes sense

(42:44):
for their team right now. They have they still have
I think strade domes. They have giv They just treated
for j them Ivy, you know, top three guys on
the on the Yeah, my condo is on. But I'm
just kidding. That's a given that he's gonna get before
or Kobe White or even Anthony Simon's come into play.
Giddy the Zunumu what's the ivy are clearly above in

(43:10):
that that Shart and then trade Man might be above
those other two as well, not trade Man sorry, uh
trade jokes. So beyond then like they have no interest
in bringing by comforting Simons next season, have plenty of
guards and he's a small guy, he's ever gonna fit there.
Uh So it's not like they will keep him rotting
and until end of the bench just for bird rights reasons.

(43:33):
So he might he does a real scenario when he
gets brought out Kobe White, likely they'll wisely just stick
whatever the best offer they can get for him. He's
easy enough to match salary wise, and some team will
give up real assets at least second round picks for him.
So he's not gonna get bored, gonna get traded. But
Anthony Simons and Mike Connolly, I think that's a real
real chance and forty Simon's gets brought out and so

(43:55):
and a I said, if one of these guards gets
brought out, the Rockets are top of the line. Has
to what these guys would be looking for in a
team to sign up for. The Rockets are the top
like a top half playoff team at a very least
this season in the West, they have the reps to
give a guy like that and up potential for him
to become a key piece if reach Apid falls apart

(44:17):
for some reason, if Rocketing the shooting or whatever it
may be. So, considering that Rockets are a prime candidate
with one of those guys becomes available, and how likely
it is given all things are shaken up for those
guys to be available, it makes even more sense to
wait for the buyout market other than span a couple
of seconds, Because how big is the gap really from
Kobe White to a forty Simmons?

Speaker 1 (44:39):
Right?

Speaker 2 (44:39):
Any Simon is the worst play. I would say better shooter,
better Paul Handler and points and true point guard. Kobe
White's taller, shorter arm like he's sixty five with six
five wingspan, so c rex arms. It is really giving willing?
Is it really worth giving up the matching sellar really
and a couple of seconds, even if that's the Brice

(45:00):
rather than getting this cheaper guy, Since you know that
then they're not gonna either of them are not gonna
move the needil that much. So, of course things currently
stand not gonna be mad if they make a crappy
you know, small asset rate regay like ob wipe, I'm
going to be outraged, but not going to be outraged
either if they don't in waits for the ballot market.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head
in terms of what moves would make sense to make.
It's either a massive move that truly ships the needle,
or at least two moderate moves, which I guess combined
could theoretically have that level of impact, or something minor
or nothing at all. And nothing at all probably doesn't

(45:43):
literally mean nothing. It could mean waiting until the buyout market.
But I think if you had to rank it, i'd
say major, minor to nothing and then moderate. But what
I think has happened is, you know, people know this
team is close, they love Kevin Durant, and they want
this to be the year. And it's been over thirty
years now since the Rockets won the NBA title. I

(46:04):
get it. They haven't even done it in your lifetime, Fallow,
So I completely understand. But I just think there's a
psychology because everybody knows how difficult it is to put
a mega deal together, and there's also the issue of
how much salary you have to send out the Rockets
are hard capped at the first apron that people sort
of talk themselves into the moderate scenarios because they feel
more realistic. Even if it doesn't necessarily move the needle,

(46:28):
it would make you a better team than you are
right now and address one of these glaring deficiencies, and
so it feels good. But in terms of what actually
makes sense for this season and beyond, I just don't
see that moderate move unless it's in tandem with two
or three other things being worthwhile. I think it's a
big move, which I haven't heard anything of it all,

(46:49):
or something or something really small. And by the way
I've heard I mentioned this earlier, but I don't think
the Rockets view Kobe White as a fit personally beyond
just the long term. I just don't think they see
the basketball fit as ideal or at least what it
would be worth in terms of, you know, not just
the assets you give up, even if they're seconds, but
even you know, Joey Anthony Smith or Steven Adams, someone

(47:10):
like that that they really like on the contracts that
they're on for not just this season, but future years
as well, because there is a pretty tricky financial picture
for this team as they try and navigate the next
few years with these young guys getting onto their second contracts.
So I tend to think that that it'll be a
smaller deal, largely for matching salary reasons. I just don't

(47:32):
think they want to, you know, sell low on guys
they truly believe in for next season. I think it's
even harder to move Clint Capella now that you don't
have Steven Adams. And so if you use Clint Capella
as matching salary, unless it's in a move for a
big well, then you create another hole. Even if it's
a small hole, it's another hole. Nonetheless, and when you're
talking about trying to win a title this year, any

(47:53):
deficiency potentially matters. So it's just it's tough to see
where the matching salary comes from. I could maybe see,
as you know, five million or less, where you could
cobble together a couple of minimums and you know, send
them elsewhere and maybe take in a five million dollar
a year type player into the friend envleet exception, the Sixers,

(48:14):
for example, they're trying to duck the luxury tax. By
the way, Paulo, I don't think anybody respects that Sixers
win over the Rockets anymore because they were using a
cheating Paul George. So's let's turn that into a win.
The Rockets are really thirty two and sixteen because nobody
respects or counts that Sixers win when they're playing at
cheating Paul George. At least that's the way I've been
assured it works with the Astros. But no, because of

(48:35):
that suspension, the Sixers are close enough to the luxury
tax that they could duck below it by trading like
an Andre Drammond or an Eric Gordon, someone like that.
And so I could see the Rockets maybe taking on
someone like that, moving out a couple of minimums if
they have to do a dance with ten day contract guys.
But there are ways you could stay beneath the first apron.

(48:58):
I was thinking Jose All for who I know they like,
and he's an Emmy Udoka culture guy. Defensively, but I mean,
you sort of took me out of the Powell. You're
probably going to be more likely to get better point
guards players at that same position on the on the
buyout market, so I'm not sure if it'd be worth
even giving up a couple of second arm picks, which
the Pelicans would surely want for a player who's you know,

(49:19):
pretty useful and and just it is twenty So as
far as deals that aren't buyouts, you know, something five
million or less Drummond, Eric Gordon, Jose Alvarado, maybe I
could see those being fits. You know, I think the Rockets,
like Drummond is a player, and he provides more insurance
up fraud after losing Steven Adams. Eric Gordon's a little old,
but you can trust him in the playoffs. He obviously

(49:40):
has a ton of familiarity with the Rockets. This part
office ownership, No, I refuse, I know, I know that
would be sensitive to you, but like, I could see
smaller things like that. But but more realistically, I think
I think we're trending towards the buyout market. And as
far as who is those, as far as who those
buyouts are, we can talk about that at the end
of the week, once we get past the trade deadline

(50:01):
and we see who's traded, who is it, and who's
on the buyout market. Is there anyone else that I
missed in like, you know, let's say, like five million
dollars or less I you're just using some combination of
the minimums and maybe you're helping some other team, you know,
jump salaries to avoid the tax and so you don't
have to give up even second round picks from your end.
Is there anybody else? I didn't mention that that might

(50:24):
be a trade target as opposed to buyout.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
I don't have anybody. I just wanted to commit Novice.
You talk about Eric Cordon and say who cares what?
Venue boast things about acquiring Eric Cordon at a time
like this and this is to be PG and not
say who gives it?

Speaker 1 (50:45):
Okay, we're done, all right with that. We will adjourn
for tonight. There's definitely more we could unpack, but as
we mentioned off the top, we are trying to be
a bit quicker tonight because we will be back before
the week is through. We're going to have that postgame
show with Dave Partisi after the Rockets Thunder game on

(51:08):
Saturday afternoon, and so at that point we'll try and
weave more analysis into what happened or didn't happen at
the trade deadline. They'll recap not just the Thunder game,
but the trade deadline as well. We'll talk about certainly
whatever happens, but also offer some explanation and context as
to why that was the case until then. This is
where we break and if you want more content from us,

(51:30):
the best place to hear more is on social media.
I'm at Venduvo's follows at paloofs NBA, and this show
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(51:53):
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with the plugs complete, I think we're officially done, or Paolo,
I'm then Thanks as always to each of you for listening,
and please come back soon for more new episodes of
the Rockets launch Pod