The Houston Rockets missed out on the big free agents this summer, but a trade for Rajon Rondo or Goran Dragic could be a target for the team, as GM Daryl Morey wants to make a new Big 3 with Dwight Howard and James Harden and those names could be in the mix, as Kevin Love looks like he is heading to the Cavs in a trade this offseason.
The Rockets have long been interested in acquiring Rondo and nearly did it last season, but things with the Celtics did not work out and now he could be a target once again. According to ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein, the Rockets may look at a deal for Rondo or someone like Dragic after missing out on Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, as the franchise was hoping to make a major splash this summer on the market.
The Rockets aimed high this summer and some would argue too high, as they had their eyes set on Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh along with LeBron James and ended up with none of those players. The team also neglected Chandler Parsons and while they didn't want to pay him tons of money, they could have played that better and now he is with the Mavericks. The team added Trevor Ariza and that was a fine move since he had a very good season with the Wizards, but they need more than that to be contenders in the west.
The Rockets moved Jeremy Lin to help clear space for Anthony or Bosh, but he opted to sign with the Miami Heat and Melo stayed with the Knicks in NY on a five year deal. James was always going to Cleveland or Miami and now Houston looks to be out of the Kevin Love trade talks, as the Cavaliers and Bulls have jumped in front with their deals. The Rockets still have moves they can make, but it will likely take draft picks and Morey is not hot on giving those up and while the team has Ariza, he is not quite a star player and is not really a Big 3 designator for the team.
The Rockets come into the season after ranking second in the league in scoring per game and the defense was not good, ranking 23rd in the league. Adding Ariza will help that, as he is considered an ace defender, but the team needs to add more to the bench as well. The team ranked 18th in assist per game last season and with Jeremy Lin gone and Patrick Beverley stepping up, the team cannot afford to have Harden lead the team in assists like he did last season. Harden averaged over 25 points and he will likely need to do that again this season.
The Dragic trade could be easier, but the Suns do not want to give him up easily after the way he played last season. Rondo is nearing free agency and he wants to win and while he is with the Celtics now, Danny Ainge could change his mind and make a move. The Rockets will likely need to trade their best young player and picks, but it could be worth it for Morey to give Harden and Howard the support they need.
