It's the midpoint of the NBA season for the Houston Rockets. In the hunt for a play-in spot, Ime Udoka's Rockets are currently 20-22, a game behind a tie between the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz for the 10th seed. While this is a massive improvement from previous years, gunning for the playoffs is coach Udoka's mission this season. To achieve this feat, Houston has some players that don't offer much of an impact on the NBA floor. Rather, they lead quite the opposite. Their state on the team hinders the needs met on the Rockets roster, such as a quality big man and three-point shooting. Fortunately, the 2024 trade deadline is less than three weeks away. To acquire a player such as Daniel Gafford or Quentin Grimes, let's discuss some players the Rockets must move before the NBA trade deadline.
Jock Landale
Rafael Stone's selection of Jock Landale is aging quite well. Signing a backup player to a four-year deal with each season after the first being non-guaranteed is proving to be the right decision moving forward. This isn't to discredit Jock Landale's contributions prior to donning a Rockets uniform. During his time with the Phoenix Suns, Landale was quite the efficient backup behind DeAndre Ayton. Last season, he averaged 14.2 minutes scoring 6.6 points on 52.8% shooting, 4.1 rebounds, and a 113.0 offensive rating coupled with assisting 10.1% of the time. This hasn't effectively translated to playing for the city of Houston.
Landale's placement in Udoka's rotations is rather awkward, unable to read pick and rolls, and often gets manhandled in the paint. He is more of a stretch big but has been struggling to make his threes in a Rockets uniform. Landale has only played in just over half of the NBA games this season with 19 Did Not Play (DNPs) and averaging just nine minutes a game. For just $8 million a year with the rest non-guaranteed, a team in need of a backup center with decent playmaking inside the three-point line could be of use for the 28-year-old Australian. Who knows, maybe he fits better in a different system.
Jae'Sean Tate
It's sad to bring up the last player who witnessed the James Harden era. Jae'Sean Tate's perks are known. He's a great on-ball defender, has a flurry of moves in the post, and can integrate himself well in playmaking. The problem is his offense. Tate on the floor has a 29.5% from deep and is a massive liability on offense, especially when the Rockets need points off the bench. Houston's bench is scoring just 31.9 points per game, which is 24th in the league, and Tate's 18.6 minutes per game significantly contributes to this bad stat.
Tate is making $6.5 million still under contract with a $7 million club option in the 2024-2025 season. It's unlikely that Houston will keep him next season, given his rather minimal impact both on the Rockets bench and in the starting lineup. He's only 28 years old and is on a cheap friendly deal. It would behoove the Rockets to get some capital from trading him before the deadline. If they keep him on the roster, letting him walk is a wasteful opportunity. For a strong 3-and-D defender with acceptable three-point shooting if given the hot hand, Tate could be a nice piece on a playoff contender or a salary dump for a team that needs to re-gain their culture.
Reggie Bullock
Imagine signing a player for eleven million and then not even getting the chance to play much. Boom, you get Reggie Bullock. A prototypical defensive wing with three-point upside, Bullock has been far from this expectation. Like Landale, Bullock receives the DNP treatment, averaging 9.3 minutes scoring a measly 2.3 points. With a horrid 121.0 defensive rating, the defense has been a non-factor in his play this season. When you aren't playing defense, Udoka won't give you minutes.
Bullock is still a quality wing shooter, shooting 38.5% behind the arc this year. Prior to signing with Houston, Bullock's last 3 seasons saw him average around six three-point attempts on a crisp 38.3% efficiency. He's still just 32 years old. If integrated into a different environment like his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks, Bullock can still provide quality scoring at the wings. His contract is the issue. Making eleven million with nothing to show for it won't raise eyebrows for many teams. The Rockets might need to pair him with something more enticing.
Victor Oladipo
Nothing much needs to be said on this one. The Rockets took an injured Oladipo due to former guard Kevin Porter Jr.'s unexpected fallout. Look, Oladipo is a solid player when healthy. It's unfortunate to have him in this situation. But the Rockets need to dump salaries when they don't amount to anything. Currently, Oladipo does appear to have made significant progress on his physical training via social media following his disastrous patellar tendon injury in last year's playoffs.
Still, he isn't NBA-ready. Not for a long while. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season, which might behoove several teams to sign him on the veteran minimum. Oladipo is still 31 years old and has a good chance to bounce back from this major setback. It most definitely won't be for the Rockets. Sure enough, Houston is actively searching for teams that are willing to offload his $9.4 million contract. They would need to pair Oladipo with another player or a draft pick to increase his value, given he doesn't have much to offer this season.
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