After seasons of perennial contention with James Harden, the Houston Rockets are now at the bottom of the Western Conference. They now have a young core of players, combined with their own pick in the upcoming draft. They are hoping it is the number one selection, of course, but even if it is not, the draft is fairly deep. However, when rebuilding, it is not only about making sure the team can get a good draft pick. It is also about clearing up the roster, and the Rockets still have some players worth trading away. Here are the two players Rockets must trade in the 2022 NBA offseason.

Rockets trade candidates for the 2022 NBA offseason

Eric Gordon 

Starting with an obvious one, we could even legitimately ask why the Rockets still have Eric Gordon on the roster. Obviously, he has given so much to Houston that it is admirable. He arrived there in 2016, coming as a free agent signing from the New Orleans Pelicans. Since then, he has been absolutely amazing for the Rockets, playing the type of role that the team needed during the James Harden era in H-Town. His best and, coincidentally, the best Rockets season in the last 20+ years was the 2017-18 season, when the dynamic duo of Harden and Chris Paul, combined with Eric Gordon averaging 18 points, almost beat Kevin Durant and Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors.

However, this is a different Rockets team and Gordon seems out of place. He is 33 years of age, playing his 14th year in the NBA for his third franchise. He is also making almost $20 million per season for at least two more years after this season is done. With a team centered around Jalen Green, Christian Wood, Alperen Sengun, and whoever the Rockets select in the 2022 NBA Draft, Gordon just seems out of place. By the time these guys are ready to fully contend, Gordon will be way past his prime and he will not be able to help them. However, he could help them in another way.

If the Rockets were to trade him while he still has some value, Gordon could bring a ton of new resources to the Rockets. One thing that a rebuilding franchise can never have too much of is future resources. While both the Nets and the Bucks owe some picks to the Rockets in the future, they can still get at least one more good selection out of someone like Gordon. It will not be easy, as his age and contract might be an obstacle, but a protected first-rounder would be a great return for a savvy veteran, as is Gordon. It was a great run of the pairing of Eric Gordon and the Houston Rockets, but it is likely going to be the end of that partnership this offseason.

John Wall

Coming to a completely different level of partnership, the trade for John Wall has really not worked out for the Rockets. We can also legitimately argue whether the Russell Westbrook trade worked out for them as well, but this one is more obvious. After Westbrook and Harden were unable to get past the Lakers in the 2020 NBA playoffs in the Bubble, they decided to trade Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for Wall. At that point, Wall played his last game for the Wizards on Christmas Day, 2018. He did suit up for the Rockets, playing 40 games last season, but since he was shut down on the 23rd of April last year, everyone was aware that Wall is not the future of the  Rockets.

Now, there have been some rumblings around the league about a proposed Wall for Westbrook trade again, but apparently, the Lakers were unable to part with a first-round pick in 2027 to finish up the trade. However, the Rockets should take this offseason, since a buyout is not an option, to really find a team for Wall. While his salary is incredibly high, he is an expiring deal and the Rockets might be able to extract some value from him, especially since getting any value would be better than just letting him waste another season on the sidelines. There is one more issue at hand.

With a developing team, having a distraction like Wall could be detrimental to the rest of the roster. The Rockets already had an issue earlier this season, when Kevin Porter Jr and Christian Wood had an issue in the locker room at the start of January. Of course, Wall likely did not have anything to do with that, but having a lame-duck player on the team cannot help any matter. If for anything, the Rockets should trade away John Wall simply to regain some stability in a locker room that badly needs it. Also, they would thus help Wall regain some confidence and find a team that will be more to his liking, where he might even revive his career. Thus, it would truly be the best all-around move for the Rockets to trade John Wall.