One prediction for every NBA team at the NBA Trade Deadline
By Corey Rausch
Houston Rockets – Sell
It has been a fun ride since the James Harden trade, somehow resulting in the top defense in the league since the franchise-altering transaction. They have turned a land of misfit toys into a challenging scheme for any opponent to manage.
Unfortunately, there is one big sell that is hanging over them. PJ Tucker is destined to be moved and provides significantly more value to whichever team he would end up on than he does in Houston. He could be a defensive anchor for a team making a playoff push. The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks make sense if they can send some sort of minimal draft compensation back. This has been the kind of break that has been needed since the end of last season. Without a contract extension, his days in Houston have been numbered for a while.
If the Rockets want to get even more creative they could make some calls about moving on from Victor Oladipo. The defensive stretch has been fun but the injury to Christian Wood put things back into perspective for the Rockets. They are not a likely playoff team and Victor Oladipo is a possible flight risk this summer. Better to see what is out there right now than be blindsided in a few months.