It is almost guaranteed that the Houston Rockets become one of the teams with the most eventful 2024 offseason. Sensing that their rebuilding project is about to take off, they are looking to add the missing pieces that will help establish them as a legitimate playoff team in the Western Conference.

And it seems as though the stars are aligning for the Rockets with regards to a potential trade partner in the Memphis Grizzlies that will help both teams achieve their roster-building goals.

As of late, there has been plenty of smoke regarding a potential trade-up from the Grizzlies with the goal of drafting Donovan Clingan. At present, the Grizzlies have the ninth-overall pick, but it's unlikely that Clingan is on the board by the time they make the selection.

Meanwhile, the Rockets have been linked to a few potential trades involving the third-overall pick, which includes a potential scenario in which they trade down.

Thus, the Rockets and Grizzlies could perhaps reach an agreement with Marcus Smart being used as the trade sweetener to allow Memphis to move up six spots in the 2024 NBA Draft, as per NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein also noted that the possibility of a Smart plus the ninth-overall pick for the third-overall selection trade is “being mentioned with increasing regularity by various league insiders.”

The Grizzlies made a huge move for Smart just last year, so it's not quite clear why they would dangle him in trade talks to move up in a relatively weak draft without even looking at how their team performs at full strength.

For the Rockets, adding a former Defensive Player of the Year who's on an affordable contract could be a huge get. Fans of both teams should stay tuned as to how they will be maneuvering come draft night.

Rockets to shoot for the stars still?

The Rockets look like a team that's ready to go big-game hunting, and there is a clear position of need for the team if they were to take the next step to playoff contention. Marcus Smart is a helpful piece who has been part of plenty of winning teams in the past, but he is not exactly moving the needle for a Rockets team that finished 41-41 last season.

Thus, even with their interest in Smart becoming more and more apparent, the Rockets should still be a team to keep an eye out for in trade talks for star players on the wing. Stein even wrote that the Rockets, “rest assured,” will be in hot pursuit of Paul George, Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler in the coming weeks.

Of course, some of those trade candidates are more plausible than others. George, in particular, may not be the player the Rockets organization deems as the missing piece.

The Los Angeles Clippers forward may be available for trade, especially with his player option deadline coming fast, but the Rockets are reportedly “unlikely” to acquire the 34-year-old two-way wing, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been the face of the Heat franchise since he joined the team in 2019. He has been the leader of teams that have defied expectations and made deep playoff runs.

Butler is only under contract for one more guaranteed season, as he has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign. However, Butler, like George, is already 34 years of age. He may not be the best fit for the Rockets' timeline. The Heat are expected to keep Butler out of trade talks anyways.

But the Rockets' M.O. is clear; they are hell-bent on adding a defensive-minded wing who fits the current team's identity like hand and glove.

Will the Grizzlies play the waiting game?

It's understandable why the Grizzlies would want to secure the services of a potential long-term partner for Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt.

The team's center position has been a revolving door ever since Steven Adams went down with injury in 2023, and the Grizzlies have had much success with a strong interior presence who can clean up on the glass and set hard screens, providing a solid complement to Jackson's more finesse style of offense.

But the Grizzlies gave up Tyus Jones and two first-round picks for Marcus Smart not even a year to this day. Smart is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, and he'll be making an average of $20.9 million for the next two seasons — a very acceptable contract.

The Grizzlies didn't have much of a fair shot at contending last season anyway what with all the injury woes they experienced.

Smart has proven his worth in the past to contending teams. Given the Grizzlies' contending aspirations, it'll be interesting to see if they still hold Smart in as high of a regard as they did last year when they gave up all those assets to acquire him or if they believe that using him to trade up for Donovan Clingan is the move.