Rockets and Suns

[Xman]

Rockets are positioned to trade at the deadline or a year from now. Right now, they have too many questions about talent levels. Jalen green, is April real? Eason, same defensive effect? Whitmore, can he be a primary scorer? Amen, can he shoot? Sheppard, can he defend in the nba? Sengun and Jabari, keep improving.

[Phystic]

If the Suns got that offer they’d be idiots to pass on it.

Couldn't disagree more.

Any trade for one of the Suns "big" 3, must have picks. That's simply a starting point because most likely a trade of any of them is us giving up on any chance of contending immediately.

If that is NOT true then for a single season I see no meaningful difference between Nurkic and Sengun on this team. Which means KD for FVV and Whitmore.

To be clear I am not saying Nurkic is the same level asset as Sengun, obviously. Just for this specific contending season.

Also, this trade doesn't work financially or within the CBA I believe. Rockets don't have the cap space to absorb the extra salary, and Suns being a 2nd apron team can't aggregate players in a trade

[MoreyWins]

If the Suns got that offer they’d be idiots to pass on it.

Couldn't disagree more.

Any trade for one of the Suns "big" 3, must have picks. That's simply a starting point because most likely a trade of any of them is us giving up on any chance of contending immediately.

If that is NOT true then for a single season I see no meaningful difference between Nurkic and Sengun on this team. Which means KD for FVV and Whitmore.

To be clear I am not saying Nurkic is the same level asset as Sengun, obviously. Just for this specific contending season.

Also, this trade doesn't work financially or within the CBA I believe. Rockets don't have the cap space to absorb the extra salary, and Suns being a 2nd apron team can't aggregate players in a trade

Please watch more of Sengun. He's nothing close to Nurkic. You can't run an offense around Nurkic. Nurkic isn't close to Sengun in regards of being a scorer, passer, and connector piece to an offense. Even if you handicap Sengun playing as limited of a role as Nurkic, he'll still do it eons better.

[shagadelic45]

could be broken into 2 trades.

1.

durant for sheppard, green, whitmore, sengun, thompson. smith jr


2. nurkic, little for eason, 2025 #1 (okc or bky), 2026 #1 (bky)



Rockets then have:

FVV-Holiday
Bullock
Brooks
Durant
Nurkic-Lonsdale-Adams

[LarsV8]

could be broken into 2 trades.

1.

durant for sheppard, green, whitmore, sengun, thompson. smith jr


2. nurkic, little for eason, 2025 #1 (okc or bky), 2026 #1 (bky)



Rockets then have:

FVV-Holiday
Bullock
Brooks
Durant
Nurkic-Lonsdale-Adams

I'm sorry but this is just absolutely laughable.

[RollingWave]

There's no evidence that the Rockets are interested in a win-now move.

There's also strong evidence that the Suns are not interested in trading Durant right from the owner's mouth.

So yeah, no trade will happen.

For those following the Rockets a bit more closely, there's almost 100% evidence that the Rockets all along wanted only to draft Reed Sheppard, and it was them that was leaking out all sorts of smokescreen ( Clingan / trades etc) with the sole intention of other teams not jumping up to 1/2 and drafting Sheppard. (they literally admitted as much in the postdraft press )

It's pretty clear that right now the Rocket's plan is to see through this rebuild and see what level their kids can develop into, so they'll usually value them pretty highly. The most likely young player they might trade in the next 12 month is Jalen Green, partly due to him needing a new contract (and also hasn't consistently prove he's worth the contract he'll likely get. )

[Phystic]

If the Suns got that offer they’d be idiots to pass on it.

Couldn't disagree more.

Any trade for one of the Suns "big" 3, must have picks. That's simply a starting point because most likely a trade of any of them is us giving up on any chance of contending immediately.

If that is NOT true then for a single season I see no meaningful difference between Nurkic and Sengun on this team. Which means KD for FVV and Whitmore.

To be clear I am not saying Nurkic is the same level asset as Sengun, obviously. Just for this specific contending season.

Also, this trade doesn't work financially or within the CBA I believe. Rockets don't have the cap space to absorb the extra salary, and Suns being a 2nd apron team can't aggregate players in a trade

Please watch more of Sengun. He's nothing close to Nurkic. You can't run an offense around Nurkic. Nurkic isn't close to Sengun in regards of being a scorer, passer, and connector piece to an offense. Even if you handicap Sengun playing as limited of a role as Nurkic, he'll still do it eons better.

Please re-read what I said. I didn't say Sengun and Nurkic are equals.

For what this Suns team needs and the role that will be available, if they decide to continue attempting to contend after trading KD, the difference in that role between Sengun and Nurkic wouldn't be massive. In my opinion. On am individual basis of course Sengun is far better than Nurkic offensively.

Nurkic = in 27mpg, 11/11/4/1/1, 8fgapg, 56 ts%
Sengun= in 32mpg, 21/9/5/1/.7, 15fgapg, 58 ts%

Again, I am NOT saying Nurkic is better or even equal, simply in the role that would be available on the Suns roster the difference would not be staggering. Unless you hold the opinion the Suns would take the ball out of one of their $50m/year players hands so Sengun can have it.

Also, Nurkic is a phenomenal passing big man, who was used quite a bit as a playmaker.

And again, the trade isn't even legal for multiple reasons so it's all a moot point anyway.

[Frankie]

could be broken into 2 trades.

1.

durant for sheppard, green, whitmore, sengun, thompson. smith jr


2. nurkic, little for eason, 2025 #1 (okc or bky), 2026 #1 (bky)



Rockets then have:

FVV-Holiday
Bullock
Brooks
Durant
Nurkic-Lonsdale-Adams

I was coming in here to say BIG no thanks to the OP trade suggestion but this one here almost made me puke