In a nutshell, this season's NBA trade deadline was a bit overhyped. While some teams did make necessary moves for the betterment of their team, the Houston Rockets and general manager Rafael Stone stood aside as spectators. Acquiring an injured Steven Adams a week before the deadline ended up becoming the marquee move for the long haul. Summarily, this move won't go unnoticed. In any case, that was all she wrote for the Rockets. This lies the biggest mistake the Rockets made at the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
Rockets slipping out of playoff contention
The fact that Houston didn't make any active moves is a move in and of itself. Houston did absolutely nothing to bolster their roster depth for the short term, making their playoff return hopes murky.
Since the 13-9 start, Houston has been 10-20 over the last 28 games. Their 5-20 road culminates most of their struggles. At the turn of the new calendar year the Rockets on the road are 26th in field goal percentage, 29th in three-point percentage, and 25th in offensive rating, summing up to a negative -5.4 net rating.
The only aspect of their game that they've relied on is defense, and even away from home is a mixed bag. There's no Plan B when the defense isn't clicking.
Possible trade acquisitions
The possibility of addressing these issues might have come to fruition if the Rockets were more aggressive. And they didn't need to give up that much.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverly for example, could have been a player on the Rockets radar to bring him back to his former team. The result? The Milwaukee Bucks acquired him for Cameron Payne, a low-rotation player who received few minutes along with a future second-round pick. It was known that Beverly wasn't on the Rockets radar. But his perimeter defense, an area Houston has been lacking since the start of the new year, would have been a nice addition.
Washington Wizards' Daniel Gafford, a player Houston was in major trade talks to improve interior defense, got sent to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Rishaun Holmes and a first-round pick. This type of trade was within range of the Rockets.
Then again, the Mavericks are in a different situation compared to Houston. MVP Luka Doncic has been knocking at the door for help and aid to make an NBA Finals run. In the grander scheme of things, the Rockets have all the time in the world.
No matter what the situation, there were a variety of players on the trading block who would have helped Houston's recent struggles.
Much-needed feedback from the front office
Prior to facing the New York Knicks on Monday, general manager Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka took questions at the press booth. Regarding Stone's feeling about the complacency at the deadline, he felt mostly “fine” with their decision.
“There was obviously things we were interested in doing,” Stone said. “We did make all the phone calls. By no means were we kind of feeling like we had to do something. We were exploring options that we thought made sense for us, both in the present and the future. I guess at the end of the day it made the most sense to stand back.”
Stone also brought up the lone move he made to acquire Adams as a “big move” that has immense potential to be a worthwhile piece. Recovering from knee surgery, the 30-year-old reportedly passed his physical and the Rockets expect him to be fully ready for training camp next season.
Possible suitors for the buyout market
Should the Rockets look to be active in the buyout market, Stone didn't say no to this.
“I think our primary thing for us is our group, as is currently constituted, plays up to its standards,” Stone said. “I think the last few weeks everybody's a little bit disappointed. We let a few [games] that we had just slip through our fingers. We'll look at the buyout market and if something makes sense we might do something but primarily we are focused on the guys currently on the roster.”
Good things come to those who wait
Let's conclude that the team as a whole in the present moment isn't ready for a deep playoff run. We've known that since the start.
But there needs to be a significant amount of improvement dating back to the past three years. There is some truth to that, with the Rockets surpassing their regular season win total for the first time since the 2020-2021 season with 30 games left to go.
Still, there are winnable games to be had, specifically against teams looking to tank. Ahead of the deadline, the team looks to primarily focus on their young guys. This doesn't necessarily mean they fell short of their biggest need, rather it might just be postponed for the 2024 offseason.
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