After restocking their future draft capital in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week, the Houston Rockets are casting a wide net in their search to land a star player.
Per The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater, the Rockets are interested in Zion Williamson, Donovan Mitchell or Devin Booker if any of them were to become available in a trade.
When the Rockets made the trade with the Nets to acquire three future draft picks, which could all end up originating from the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Houston was “intrigued” by potentially trading for Kevin Durant.
Suns governor Mat Ishbia dismissed any notion that Durant was going to be dealt right now in a post on X:
Amick and Slater noted the Rockets “are only interested in star players whose timelines fit better with their young core.” That would not seem to include Durant, who will turn 36 on Sept. 29.
Of the potential trade options for Houston cited by Amick and Slater, Williamson might be the most realistic one by default if the club wants to make a deal sooner than later.
If Ishbia is to be taken at his word, the Suns aren’t going to trade Booker since they want to try competing for a title next season. NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Wednesday that Mitchell is “widely expected” to sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the coming days.
Most of the trade chatter involving the New Orleans Pelicans has centered around Brandon Ingram, but they are a hard team to figure out. Their 49 wins last season were tied for the second-most in franchise history, but they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Williamson wasn’t available for that series due to a hamstring injury suffered in the play-in tournament win over the Sacramento Kings. He played a career-high 70 games during the regular season.
If the Pelicans determine Williamson is too much of an injury risk as he enters the second season of a five-year, $197.2 million contract, they could explore trade options around the league.
The Rockets made strides last season under first-year head coach Ime Udoka. Their additions of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks in free agency, as well as breakout years from Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green, helped the team finish 41-41.
It was the first time Houston has finished with a non-losing record since 2019-20, but the team missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.