After an abbreviated yet eventful offseason for the Houston Rockets, let’s take a look at three bold predictions for the upcoming season.
The entire Houston Rockets offseason has been one of the most dramatic and interesting storylines in professional sports. As everyone expected, given the well-documented contentious contract negotiations, head coach Mike D’Antoni parted ways with the organization immediately after getting eliminated from the playoffs. The move that would send shockwaves through the organization came when Daryl Morey decided it was time to step down from his role after 13 seasons as the Rockets general manager.
The Houston Rockets didn’t know it at the time, but the worst had yet to come. The franchise was dealt a gut punch when Russell Westbrook, for whom they traded Chris Paul and four future first-round draft picks to acquire, requested a trade after just one season with the Rockets.
Though it was only one abbreviated season, it was pretty obvious things were never going to work with Westbrook and James Harden. As much as they love each other off the court, their respective play styles combined with Westbrook’s lack of a jump shot and inability to space the floor were a recipe for disaster and put a strain on the Rockets’ offense.
Whether Russ requested a trade or not, the writing was on the wall, and the Houston Rockets knew they had to trade one of their stars, and it for sure wasn’t going to be Harden. Or so they thought.
To make matters worse, the Rockets were dealt one final blow when Harden, the franchise’s crowned jewel, decided after eight years in Houston he’s ready for a change of scenery. After multiple failed experiments and postseason runs and watching the general manager and a head coach that helped turn him into a perennial MVP candidate walk out the front door, Harden decided enough was enough.
The Rockets were always okay with the idea of trading Westbrook but never even considered the notion regarding Harden. He’s become a Houston Rockets legend during his eight-year tenure with the organization.
Newly promoted Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone eventually traded Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a conditional future pick. He also signed unrestricted free agent DeMarcus Cousins and acquired forward Christian Wood via sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons, adding much-needed size to the frontcourt.
The Rockets spent the shortest offseason in the history of the league trying to remake the roster with limited assets in hopes of changing Harden’s mind.
Key Departures:
- Russell Westbrook
- Rober Covington
- Austin Rivers
Key Additions
- John Wall
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Christian Wood
- Kenyon Martin Jr.
- Sterling Brown
- Gerald Green (missed last season with a broken foot)
After a rather turbulent and frenetic offseason that led to a myriad of moves to bolster the supporting cast around Harden and hopefully convince him not to skip town, here are my three bold predictions for the Houston Rockets in the upcoming season.