Houston Rockets
Giving up first round draft picks for 3-4 month rentals is generally an inadvisable strategy for any team, but Rockets GM Daryl Morey knows his team’s window won’t stay open forever. Chris Paul is already showing signs of regression, James Harden desperately needs help and the Golden State Warriors certainly aren’t going anywhere.
Finding a wing defender capable of guarding multiple positions was a priority for Houston’s 25th-ranked defense with the deadline on the horizon. If Shumpert can carry over his bounce-back season there, he will ultimately dull some of the sting of yet another first-rounder being tossed out the window of contention that’s slowly closing.
Iman Shumpert:
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 7, 2019
Offense:
-Shooting 38.4% on spot-up opportunities (70% of his offensive possessions)
- 39.1% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers
- 35% 3-point shooter in transition
- 36.6% 3-point shooter overall (46.4% R corner shooter, 36.4% L corner shooter)#Rockets
Adding a shooter like Stauskas helps pad Houston’s bench depth. Although his numbers shrank to 6.1 points in 15.3 minutes per game after a hot start to the season for the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s still making 34.4 percent of his triples this year. That’s number is decidedly below-average, but given Houston’s offensive game plan, he may be able to make up for it with pure volume if he can get back in a rhythm.
Baldwin probably won’t play much, but could serve a limited role as a third string point guard, or in the event of injury. If Shumpert doesn’t wind up being in Houston’s immediate plans, another solution like Nikola Mirotic isn’t out of the question:
If the Rockets were to flip Iman Shumpert before the trade deadline, they could receive up to $13.77 million in salary. (Shump can't be combined with other players in a deal.) @SeanDeveney reported this week the Rockets could make a run at Nikola Mirotic, who makes $12.5 million.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 7, 2019
Even if such a sexy wheel-and-deal doesn’t materialize before Thursday’s deadline, Shumpert’s 3-and-D skill-set should help the Rockets look more like the Western contender most expected at the start of the year. It certainly doesn’t close the gap on the Warriors, or even last year’s Rockets team, but it’s a step in the right direction.
It’s just a pity another first-rounder — and the opportunity for a cheap, team controlled player — went out the window for what might be a short-term rental that ultimately doesn’t make a difference. The lottery protection guards against the worst-case scenario of missing the postseason, but at some point, dealing away all these picks has to result in a championship to justify these moves.
Grade: B-