NBA: 5 teams who have improved their stock over the summer

3. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets made one of the biggest splashes of the summer when they acquired Chris Paul in a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In return, the Rockets had to give up Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, a 2018 first round pick and a few other throw-in players. The only players of consequence are Beverley and Williams.

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Houston was lucky enough to keep Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon in the trade, both whom are extremely important to their spacing.

They also signed P.J Tucker and re-signed Nene. Both Tucker and Nene are two of the more underrated signings this offseason. Each player brings toughness and defense to a team that already has a surplus of offense.

We all saw how the San Antonio Spurs exposed the Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals last year, especially in the final game. My feeling is that would never happen to a team with Paul, Nene and Tucker.

It remains to be seen how Paul and Harden will fit in the backcourt, but great players usually make it work.

You throw in the constant rumors about Carmelo Anthony joining the team and that would push the Rockets even further up this list.