With the NBA trade market set to heat up, the Houston Rockets are trying to determine just how involved they are going to be. The Rockets are not having the season they were hoping to start out having. The year is young, but the Rockets have started slow and inconsistent. In need of a boost to compete with the likes of the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, will the Rockets shop certain players?
The Rockets are coming off a loss to the Denver Nuggets as they continue to lack consistency on the year. They got a convincing win over the Sacramento Kings before falling in an ugly performance to the Brooklyn Nets. As a result, the team is getting linked to trade deals in the coming weeks. According to the Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Rockets are a team looking to acquire Markieff Morris from the Phoenix Suns, but could be reluctant to hand over the marquee talent the team is looking for.
Stein reported that if the Rockets want Morris, they will have to give up Terrence Jones to make the deal work. Jones is becoming a popular name on the market as he has an expiring contract to his name. However, the Rockets would be wise not to give up Jones who is proving needed production off the bench. ESPN's Calvin Watkins is reporting that the Rockets feel they cannot give up the 23-year-old right now as he is a solid bargain financially while getting better on the court. Jones is averaging 15 points while shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc. He is also a leading shot blocker while being a good replacement for Dwight Howard.
Jones is a great trading chip the Rockets have right now. However, he is also a good building block. Morris is talented and someone the Rockets can control for a few more seasons, but the upside of Jones is good if not better. So what about Ty Lawson? The point guard told RealGM.com that the Rockets told him he would not be traded during the deadline as he and Patrick Beverley work in tandem. For now, the Rockets will stick with that rotation until they have a real reason not to. Lawson has picked up his chemistry with James Harden and things could be improving because of it.
"I'm getting more into the system," Lawson said, via ESPN.com. "I'm playing more like myself, I'm kicking it out and finding more open people, I'm having more freedom to get in the paint and have more spacing. It's getting there."
