<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-alperen-sengun-rockets-legitimate-chance-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Alperen Sengun, Rockets have ‘legitimate chance’ of contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NBA-rumors-Alperen-Sengun-Rockets-have-legitimate-chance-of-contract-extension.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Alperen Sengun, Rockets have ‘legitimate chance’ of contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T09:56:11-07:00">October 1st, 9:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T09:57:19-07:00">October 1st, 9:57am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Throughout the NBA offseason, teams have been a lot more cognizant of their current and future financial situations as a result of the first and second tax aprons and the implications that these financial marks carry. That is why many teams did not break the bank over the summer, especially when it comes to re-signing players and offering contract extensions. One of the more fascinating extension situations around the league, aside from the Golden State Warriors with Jonathan Kuminga, is Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets.</p><p>Sengun put together a really solid second season in the league during the 2022-23 season, and in Year 3, he became a borderline All-Star with the Rockets. In a total of 63 games, all of which he started, Sengun averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor. If the Turkish big man hadn’t suffered a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-alperen-sengun-injury-timeline">gruesome-looking leg injury late in the season</a>, he may have gone on to win the league’s Most Improved Player award.</p><p>There is no doubt that Sengun now enters the 2024-25 season, his fourth year in the league, as the Rockets best player. However, the organization has a decision to make regarding his long-term status with the franchise since he is in the final year of his rookie contract.</p><p>Since the middle of last season, the language coming from Houston suggested that the team envisions Sengun being their center of the future. Although the Rockets explored other options in the 2023 offseason, including Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez, league sources told ClutchPoints in March that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-paul-george-klay-thompson-futures-decided-nba-playoffs">team had not given any indications that Sengun was available</a> on the trade market or that the team had a desire to see him leave.</p><p>It appears as if that same mentality remains, as there is a “legitimate chance” that Sengun and the Rockets will reach an <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/alperen-sengun-jalen-green-contracts-19806954.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&amp;utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral" rel="noopener">agreement</a> on a new contract extension prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets have until October 21, the day before the 2024-25 regular season begins, to make a decision on whether or not to extend Sengun. Should a deal not be reached, Sengun will become a restricted free agent next summer.</p><h2><b>Rockets’ desire to keep Alperen Sengun</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alperen-Sengun-of-the-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-future-alperen-sengun-jalen-green-offseason-trade-decisions">Rockets have held no intention of trading Sengun</a>. He is the pinnacle of their starting lineup, and at 22 years old, there is still plenty of room for Sengun to follow in the footsteps of other versatile, do-it-all centers in this league like Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Jokic.</p><p>Over the last few seasons, the Rockets have developed Sengun into a more well-rounded big man who could be an all-around weapon on the offensive end of the floor. It is not a coincidence that he saw his scoring and passing numbers increase last season with Udoka as his head coach, and Sengun is only primed to make yet another jump this upcoming season.</p><p>Houston is committed to Sengun, and it appears as if the feelings are mutual. It is not hard to call Sengun one of the better centers in basketball right now, and the Rockets envision a future where they can build around the rising star at the center position.</p><p>Should the two sides want to get a deal done in the next three weeks, they can make it happen. However, what this contract extension could look like is the big question.</p><p>Since Jalen Green is also entering the final year of his rookie contract with no word of an extension before the season out of Houston at the moment, the Rockets could be pressed to make a choice between the two youthful players. This is especially true since Fred VanVleet is on the books for $42.8 million this season before owning a $44.8 million team option ahead of the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Even with all of the confusing numbers, there is still a path to the Rockets being able to extend Sengun now and still keep Green around on a new contract next offseason, especially if the organization decides to part ways with VanVleet in favor of Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, two backcourt options the organization is exceptionally high on.</p><p>Out of all the teams in the league, the Rockets have been operating with an abundance of flexibility and potential because of the talent that exists on rookie contracts. Decisions are going to be made in the near future, and it appears as if the first will be Sengun putting pen to paper on a new, long-term contract extension to remain in Houston as one of the faces of the franchise.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Alperen Sengun, Rockets have ‘legitimate chance’ of contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-pistons-rockets-showed-patrick-beverley-interest-before-israel-move');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Pistons, Rockets showed Patrick Beverley interest before Israel move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Pistons-Rockets-showed-Patrick-Beverley-interest-before-Israel-move.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Pistons, Rockets showed Patrick Beverley interest before Israel move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-16T18:00:07-07:00">July 16th, 6:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-16T18:00:07-07:00">July 16th, 6:00pm</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. He can also be found three to five times weekly on Locked On Cavs, a part of the Locked On Podcast Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other Sports</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA veteran journeyman Patrick Beverley is beginning his next professional chapter overseas after choosing to sign with Israeli squad Hapoel Tel Aviv. Beverley will join a stacked roster since Hapoel Tel Aviv recently signed former Phoenix Suns forward Ish Wainright and former Los Angeles Clippers big man Johnathan Motley.</p><p>However, before Beverley chose to play in Israel, he <a href="https://x.com/Tsaltas46/status/1813275696837300647" rel="noopener">had NBA offers</a> from the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets that ultimately didn’t deter him from staying stateside.</p><p>“Patrick Beverley received interest from Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets (veteran’s minimum) over the last few days, but he preferred Hapoel Tel Aviv because of the challenge to win both Israel League and Eurocup, according to @SportalgrG source. #HapoelTelAviv #NBA,” said Christos Tsaltas on X.</p><p>“Patrick Beverley met with Hapoel Tel Aviv’s owner in Las Vegas, according to @SportalgrG source. He get everything he asked for and he accepted Hapoel’s offer for 2 years (1+1). He wanted to be impactful in a winning team and that was a big reason behind his decision. #Eurocup”</p><p>Despite being a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, Beverley began his pro career overseas following his college days at Arkansas. So, playing in Israel for Hapoel Tel Aviv isn’t the first time the guard has played overseas. However, it is the first time he hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013, when he signed a multi-year deal with the Houston Rockets, so some change will still be involved.</p><h2>What made Patrick Beverley want to leave the NBA?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Beverley-Posts-Up.jpg"><figcaption>Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Beverley has played for five franchises since the start of the 2021-22 season and has not signed a multiyear deal since 2019. With that in mind, when Beverley, who turned 36 this week, posted on his X that he was weighing whether to sign a veteran minimum NBA contract or take a deal overseas, it <a href="https://x.com/PatBevPod/status/1813262601452753313" rel="noopener">made sense</a> why he was considering every option.</p><p>“They gave me everything I asked for,” Beverley said. “I couldn’t refuse.”</p><p>Beverley began the 2023-24 season playing for the Philadelphia 76ers before the franchise traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks in February. There, he played a role in the team’s playoff run following the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to injury. He averaged a combined 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 41.7 percent shooting from the field. The season before, Beverley spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.</p><p>If he doesn’t return to the NBA, he will finish his career with 666 regular-season games, averaging 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.6 minutes. However, it doesn’t paint the full picture, even if he didn’t put up the flashiest stats. Even in his mid-30s, Beverley was one of the most dogged point-of-attack defenders in the league and a helpful connector on the other end. Even as a point guard, Beverley could always credibly initiate the offense but never needed the ball, which made him a good fit with ball-dominant stars.</p><p>However, if he does return, he will have to serve a four-game suspension for throwing the ball at Indiana Pacers fans multiple times in Game 6 of Milwaukee’s first-round series loss.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Pistons, Rockets showed Patrick Beverley interest before Israel move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-not-ready-max-alperen-sengun-jalen-green');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets not ready to max Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Rockets-not-ready-to-max-Alperen-Sengun-Jalen-Green.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets not ready to max Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-02T08:47:28-07:00">July 2nd, 8:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-02T08:47:28-07:00">July 2nd, 8:47am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have some young talent on their squad that they are trying to keep building around to form a real contender in the Western Conference, and Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green are the two players who stick out for the team. Both are eligible for max rookie extensions, like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes got, but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5608131/2024/07/02/houston-rockets-free-agency/?source=user_shared_article&amp;utm_content=buffer4012d&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer&amp;redirected=1" rel="noopener">unlikely to receive</a> them from the Rockets.</p><p>“At this stage, it’s unlikely either Sengun or Green receive max rookie extensions — both are eligible for a five-year deal worth up to $224.2 million, per The Athletic’s salary cap expert Danny LeRoux,” Kelly Iko of The Athletic said. “Houston has had conversations with both camps concerning an extension and will continue dialogue during the offseason, but the chances of either player inking an agreement in the realm of fellow 2021 draftees Cade Cunningham ($236 million) or Scottie Barnes (potentially up to $270 million) are slim. It’s more likely the Rockets revisit this next year, unless there is an agreement that benefits both sides.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-superstar-trade-dreams-get-far-fetched-update">After the Rockets hired</a> Ime Udoka last offseason, they have had the goal of entering contention with their young squad, while keeping open the possibility of acquiring a star player. They made a run late in the season to try to make the play-in tournament, but were not able to chase down the Golden State Warriors. Still, this was a step forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-houston-decision-fred-vanvleet-backup">for the Rockets</a> as a team who proved they can win games against quality opponents, mainly on the strength of their defense.</p><p>Alperen Sengun was a big part of that, as he <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sengual01.html" rel="noopener">averaged 21.1 points</a> with 9.3 rebounds this past season, according to Basketball Reference. At just 21 years old, Sengun is a part of the long-term plan for the Rockets, whether that is building around him or using him in a trade to get a superstar.</p><p>Jalen Green is a good young piece as well. He <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greenja05.html" rel="noopener">averaged 19.6 points</a> per game this season with 5.2 rebounds, according to Basketball reference. Although he could improve his efficiency from where it currently is, he still has time to grow at 21 years old as well. He has been rumored in trades in the past too.</p><h2><b>Rockets save assets they have stocked for big trade</b></h2><p>The Rockets have been one of the teams in the NBA that stick out as a team that could make a big trade for a star player. They swapped picks with the Brooklyn Nets recently to theoretically make a push for Kevin Durant if he becomes available.</p><p>Houston was rumored to have interest in Mikal Bridges from the Nets, but passed and let the New York Knicks get him. Green was rumored as a possible player that would have headed to Brookln in the past if that deal did take place. Ultimately, Mikal Bridges made it clear that he would have eventually signed with the Knicks anyway.</p><p>The Rockets hope to take a step and make the playoffs next season with internal growth from their core of players, but they are very much in the hunt for a big star as well. It is just a matter of who comes available and when.</p><p>Houston might have to buy time and eventually extend Sengun and Green next year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets not ready to max Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-superstar-trade-dreams-get-far-fetched-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets’ superstar trade dreams get far-fetched update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Suns-news-Fans-react-to-Devin-Booker-being-named-as-future-Rockets-trade-target.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets’ superstar trade dreams get far-fetched update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-28T23:07:20-07:00">June 28th, 11:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-28T23:07:20-07:00">June 28th, 11:07pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The dust has settled on the 2024 NBA Draft, but here the Houston Rockets are, still unable to fulfill their dream of pulling off a blockbuster trade for a superstar to expedite their contending timeline. And now, it seems like a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-blockbuster-trade-proposal-lands-suns-star-kevin-durant">trade of such magnitude</a> is looking more and more unlikely for the Rockets with each passing day.</p><p>However, the Rockets’ <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5599073/2024/06/28/nba-free-agency-paul-george-warriors-klay-thompson-kevin-durant/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=twhq&amp;source=twitterhq&amp;utm_source=substack" rel="noopener">inability to pull off</a> a major blockbuster trade for a star wing isn’t necessarily due to the unavailability of prospective trade targets. The Rockets, according to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, “are only interested in star players whose timelines fit better with their young core” as per league sources.</p><p>This focus on players that fit the timeline of their young core means that an all-out pursuit of veteran stars such as Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George that much more unlikely. Amick and Slater brought up the Rockets’ decision to pass on a James Harden reunion as evidence that they’re not really in the business of acquiring veterans who are approaching the wrong side of 30.</p><p>The Rockets, added Amick and Slater, are setting their sights on younger potential franchise cornerstones in Donovan Mitchell, Zion Williamson, and Devin Booker. Mitchell is well on his way to signing a huge extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while both Williamson and Booker are under contract for four more seasons, making it close to impossible that the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, respectively, trade them away.</p><p>Something has to change for the Rockets if they were to pull off a blockbuster trade this offseason. The good news is that they have time on their side. They have a solid core of players who are younger than 23, which means that they should have a few more years to wait if their prime trade targets become available.</p><h2><b>Rockets’ young core is only getting better</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alperen-Sengun-dapping-up-Jalen-Green-1.jpg"></figure><p>Back in March, the Rockets went on a heater that showed fans that they are much closer to playoff contention than many think. Alperen Sengun went down with injury during that time, but the Rockets’ other youngsters, such as Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr., all stepped up their games.</p><p>It’s important to note that all four of those aforementioned players are 22 years of age or younger at the moment. That quartet should already make 95 percent of the league jealous. But then a Rockets team that was already rich in quality young players only got richer with the addition of Reed Sheppard, the sweet shooting guard out of Kentucky who went third overall in this year’s draft.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-gm-makes-eye-opening-reed-sheppard-admission-amid-nba-draft">Rockets are adding Sheppard</a> to the young bench crew of Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason. They also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-aj-griffin-rockets-trade-nba-draft">traded for AJ Griffin</a> in a buy-low trade. Griffin is only 21 years old; he flashed some nice 3 and D potential during his rookie season before fading into obscurity during the 2023-24 campaign.</p><p>As mentioned earlier, the Rockets can wait and see if they need to blow all their assets right now in an attempt to win now or whether the young players they already have on the roster could step up and be the star the team needs. Alas, the Rockets roster is going to be very expensive soon, with Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun both up for extensions, which might explain the team’s urgency to grab who they think is the missing piece to their contending puzzle.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets’ superstar trade dreams get far-fetched update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-stephen-a-smith-suns-kevin-durant-experience');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Suns trade update dumps cold water on Stephen A. Smith’s Kevin Durant claim');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Stephen-A.-Smith-claims-Suns-want-out-of-Kevin-Durant-experience.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Suns trade update dumps cold water on Stephen A. Smith’s Kevin Durant claim</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-26T10:01:13-07:00">June 26th, 10:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-26T10:09:50-07:00">June 26th, 10:09am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-blockbuster-trade-proposal-lands-suns-star-kevin-durant">Kevin Durant received</a> quite a bit of criticism over the past several years for leaving teams. The first instance came in 2016 when Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, with whom KD won two titles. Durant only spent three seasons with the Warriors before teaming up with Kyrie Irving (and eventually James Harden) on the Brooklyn Nets, but after fewer than four seasons in Brooklyn, Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns. And now according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the Suns want to trade Durant.</p><p>Durant, who is one of the most lethal scorers in NBA history, arrived in Phoenix via a trade with the Nets in February 2023. The move was new Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s first big act after buying the team, but the trade hasn’t paid off so far. Durant was injured for an extended period in 2023 and could not develop the necessary chemistry needed before the Suns were eliminated from the playoffs by the eventual NBA Champions, the Denver Nuggets.</p><p>Things didn’t go any better this season either despite Phoenix trading for Bradley Beal. The Suns, who struggled with injuries once again during the regular season, were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the postseason, calling into question if the trio of Durant, Beal, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-devin-booker-rockets-trade">Devin Booker could achieve</a> championship success together.</p><p>If the Suns believe the answer to be no, a trade involving Durant could be on the horizon. And Smith, who <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1805993976396468666" rel="noopener">clarified that he is</a> “reporting” and not giving his opinion, said the Suns want to trade Durant.</p><p>“‘Pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying. They want out of Kevin Durant right now’. That’s number one,” Smith said, seemingly reading off a text message. “Number two, also, Houston doesn’t want Kevin Durant. (Rockets coach) Ime Udoka may want him, but organizationally, they know that they are not there yet, so their plans are more long-range. And they would prefer a Devin Booker, who they know it’s a slim chance they’ll get, but that would be their preference.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying. They want out of Kevin Durant right now… Houston doesn't want Kevin Durant, Ime Udoka may want him."</p><p>Stephen A. Smith 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstTake</a>)<a href="https://t.co/4JAX1YJzOC">pic.twitter.com/4JAX1YJzOC</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1805993976396468666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1806000359263060404" rel="noopener">should be noted</a>, however, that AZCentral’s Duane Rankin said that “the Phoenix Suns aren’t looking to trade Kevin Durant and the Suns are ‘riding’ with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Durant.”</p><p> </p><h2><b>Kevin Durant trade rumors swirling</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevin-Durant-1.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>If the rumors or Stephen A. Smith’s report are true, then Kevin Durant would seem to be on the move sooner rather than later. Over the past few days, rumors have begun to swirl that Durant was a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-rockets-mikal-bridges">target of the Houston Rockets</a>. The rumors seemed to heat up, especially after the Rockets’ trade with Durant’s old team, the Brooklyn Nets, which involved their own 2025 and 2026 first-round draft picks Brooklyn had traded away to acquire James Harden in 2020, as well as the Suns’ 2027 first-round pick and other picks involving the Suns.</p><p>Logically, if the Suns plan to trade Durant, they would have to get some valuable draft capital back, particularly because the Suns have mortgaged nearly every draft pick they would have over the next half-decade in order to acquire Durant and Beal. If the Suns now traded Durant to Houston, the Rockets could offer Phoenix some of its own draft picks, which could be very, very valuable if the team tanks.</p><p>That being said, it is still unclear where or even if Durant will be traded. The Suns have many reasons to not ship out the aging All-Star, including upsetting Devin Booker, who spent years toiling away on one of the worst teams in the NBA. But there may be no better time to hit the proverbial reset button than right now for Phoenix.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Suns trade update dumps cold water on Stephen A. Smith’s Kevin Durant claim

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-rockets-mikal-bridges');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Kevin Durant ‘connected’ to Rockets after Mikal Bridges trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevin-Durant-connected-to-Rockets-after-Mikal-Bridges-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Kevin Durant ‘connected’ to Rockets after Mikal Bridges trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-26T07:00:04-07:00">June 26th, 7:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-26T07:00:04-07:00">June 26th, 7:00am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the NBA. The Phoenix Suns remain hopeful that Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can lead the team to a championship. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/best-kevin-durant-trade-destinations-demands-suns-exit">Trade rumors have swirled</a> around the stars, however. Most recently, Durant has reportedly been connected to the Houston Rockets.</p><p>The Rockets are rumored to have interest in adding Durant. Houston displayed signs of becoming a contending team with their young core of players in 2023-24. Trading for a superstar like Durant would turn them into a serious contender.</p><p>On Tuesday, the Brooklyn Nets <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-blockbuster-mikal-bridges-trade-involving-nets-knicks-rockets">traded Mikal Bridges</a> to the New York Knicks in a deal that led to a number of picks being swapped between teams. Houston returned a Nets 2026 first round pick for a Suns 2027 first round pick. They also acquired a right to swap with a Suns 2025 first round pick. So <a href="https://x.com/ESPNRadio/status/1805925132944240786" rel="noopener">how does this impact</a> a potential Rockets’ pursuit of Durant?</p><p>“That’s what they’re setting up for (to acquire Durant),” NBA insider Brian Windhorst said on ESPN radio. “Giving up the access to the Nets draft was done with the purpose of making a deal now… They made this trade specifically to attempt to make a deal with the Suns. They did it to make a deal with the Suns now.”</p><h2><b>Kevin Durant’s interest in potential trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Suns have potential to compete for a championship with their stars leading the team. Phoenix also had depth concerns this past season, though. Durant has displayed a willingness to move on from teams in the past, which is something to consider in this situation.</p><p>At the moment, Windhorst has not heard any news about Durant seeking a trade, however.</p><p>“To my knowledge, Kevin Durant has not asked for a trade,” Windhorst continued. “However, there are definite connections between Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.”</p><p>Durant enjoyed another impressive season in 2023-24. The Suns star averaged 27.1 points per game on 52.3 percent field goal and 41.3 percent three-point shooting across 75 games played. He added 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per outing. Durant’s play led to a ninth place finish in MVP voting.</p><p>Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are one of the best duos in the league. Beal endured some ups and downs in his first season with the Suns, but he still features the ceiling of a superstar. The Suns will have an opportunity to play at a high level if all three stars return.</p><p>That is certainly not guaranteed at the moment, though. Durant has been linked to a number of teams in trade rumors. Booker has also been mentioned as a possible trade candidate.</p><p>Phoenix will consider all of their options before making a move. If they receive an offer that is too enticing to pass on, perhaps they will consider trading one or both of the stars. Again, though, the Suns could look to run it back with championship aspirations. They do not need to enter a rebuild right now.</p><h2><b>Rockets outlook</b></h2><p>The Rockets are in an especially interesting position. They have been rebuilding over the years. Houston’s core of future stars makes them a landing destination for multiple stars in free agency or via trades.</p><p>It seems likely that the Rockets will add at least one more star this offseason. The question is if that star will be Kevin Durant, something that will become more clear over the next few weeks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Kevin Durant ‘connected’ to Rockets after Mikal Bridges trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-grizzlies-marcus-smart-trade-gains-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets-Grizzlies Marcus Smart trade gains buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NBA-rumors-Rockets-Grizzlies-Marcus-Smart-trade-gains-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets-Grizzlies Marcus Smart trade gains buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-25T06:53:26-07:00">June 25th, 6:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-25T08:59:59-07:00">June 25th, 8:59am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is almost guaranteed that the Houston Rockets become one of the teams with the most eventful 2024 offseason. Sensing that their rebuilding project is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-still-holding-out-hope-mikal-bridges-trade">about to take off</a>, they are looking to add the missing pieces that will help establish them as a legitimate playoff team in the Western Conference.</p><p>And it seems as though the stars are aligning for the Rockets with regards to a potential trade partner in the Memphis Grizzlies that will help both teams achieve their roster-building goals.</p><p>As of late, there has been plenty of smoke regarding a potential trade-up from the Grizzlies with the goal of drafting Donovan Clingan. At present, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-grizzlies-most-frequent-team-connected-to-donovan-clingan-trade-up">Grizzlies have the ninth-overall pick</a>, but it’s unlikely that Clingan is on the board by the time they make the selection.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Rockets have been linked to a few potential trades involving the third-overall pick, which includes a potential scenario in which they trade down.</p><p>Thus, the Rockets and Grizzlies could perhaps reach an agreement with Marcus Smart being used as the trade sweetener to allow Memphis to <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/this-week-in-basketball-can-only-9df?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=145951059&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">move up six spots</a> in the 2024 NBA Draft, as per NBA insider Marc Stein.</p><p>Stein also noted that the possibility of a Smart plus the ninth-overall pick for the third-overall selection trade is “being mentioned with increasing regularity by various league insiders.”</p><p>The Grizzlies made a huge move for Smart just last year, so it’s not quite clear why they would dangle him in trade talks to move up in a relatively weak draft without even looking at how their team performs at full strength.</p><p>For the Rockets, adding a former Defensive Player of the Year who’s on an affordable contract could be a huge get. Fans of both teams should stay tuned as to how they will be maneuvering come draft night.</p><h2>Rockets to shoot for the stars still?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rockets-center-Alperen-Sengun-28-and-guard-Jalen-Green-4-come-out-the-locker-room.jpg"></figure><p>The Rockets look like a team that’s ready to go big-game hunting, and there is a clear position of need for the team if they were to take the next step to playoff contention. Marcus Smart is a helpful piece who has been part of plenty of winning teams in the past, but he is not exactly moving the needle for a Rockets team that finished 41-41 last season.</p><p>Thus, even with their interest in Smart becoming more and more apparent, the Rockets should still be a team to keep an eye out for in trade talks for star players on the wing. Stein even wrote that the Rockets, “rest assured,” will be in hot pursuit of Paul George, Brandon Ingram or Jimmy Butler in the coming weeks.</p><p>Of course, some of those trade candidates are more plausible than others. George, in particular, may not be the player the Rockets organization deems as the missing piece.</p><p>The Los Angeles Clippers forward may be available for trade, especially with his player option deadline coming fast, but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-targeting-paul-george-but-theres-a-catch">Rockets are reportedly “unlikely”</a> to acquire the 34-year-old two-way wing, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.</p><p>Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler has been the face of the Heat franchise since he joined the team in 2019. He has been the leader of teams that have defied expectations and made deep playoff runs.</p><p>Butler is only under contract for one more guaranteed season, as he has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign. However, Butler, like George, is already 34 years of age. He may not be the best fit for the Rockets’ timeline. The Heat are expected to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-contract-extension-trade-rumors-key-pat-riley-update">keep Butler out of trade talks</a> anyways.</p><p>But the Rockets’ M.O. is clear; they are hell-bent on adding a defensive-minded wing who fits the current team’s identity like hand and glove.</p><h2><b>Will the Grizzlies play the waiting game?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lakers-LeBron-James-against-Grizzlies-Ja-Morant.jpg"></figure><p>It’s understandable why the Grizzlies would want to secure the services of a potential long-term partner for Jaren Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt.</p><p>The team’s center position has been a revolving door ever since Steven Adams went down with injury in 2023, and the Grizzlies have had much success with a strong interior presence who can clean up on the glass and set hard screens, providing a solid complement to Jackson’s more finesse style of offense.</p><p>But the Grizzlies gave up Tyus Jones and two first-round picks for Marcus Smart not even a year to this day. Smart is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league, and he’ll be making an <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/15358/marcus-smart" rel="noopener">average of $20.9 million</a> for the next two seasons — a very acceptable contract.</p><p>The Grizzlies didn’t have much of a fair shot at contending last season anyway what with all the injury woes they experienced.</p><p>Smart has proven his worth in the past to contending teams. Given the Grizzlies’ contending aspirations, it’ll be interesting to see if they still hold Smart in as high of a regard as they did last year when they gave up all those assets to acquire him or if they believe that using him to trade up for Donovan Clingan is the move.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets-Grizzlies Marcus Smart trade gains buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-targeting-paul-george-but-theres-a-catch');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets targeting Paul George, but there’s a catch');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Rockets-targeting-Paul-George-but-theres-a-catch.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets targeting Paul George, but there’s a catch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T07:56:26-07:00">June 24th, 7:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-24T07:56:26-07:00">June 24th, 7:56am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the worst-kept secrets in the entire NBA is the Houston Rockets’ desire to further add fuel to their rebuilding project that may be one piece away from a full-blown take-off. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-no-3-trade-buzz-intensifies">Rockets have the young assets</a> and draft capital to pull off a trade, and they appear to be focusing on adding a star-level forward to give them a two-way weapon on the wing. With this in mind, could the Rockets find themselves squarely in the hunt for Paul George?</p><p>Five seasons after pulling off a blockbuster trade for George, the Los Angeles Clippers appear to be nearing the end of their rope with the 34-year old forward. George is set to enter the final year of his contract, as he has a player option worth around $48.8 million for the 2023-24 campaign. But with the two parties not seeing eye to eye in contract extension negotiations, George appears to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-paul-george-holds-clippers-preference-ahead-of-free-agency">primed for a departure</a>, with it being very likely that he opts into his contract so that the Clippers could trade him away. This could <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/aggregate-2024-nba-mock-draft-paul-george-tyrese-maxey-free-agency-zach-lavine-trade-talks/" rel="noopener">pave the way</a> for the Rockets to acquire him.</p><p>Alas, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that, according to his sources, “the chances of Houston landing George are unlikely.” The Rockets may be “big-game hunting”, as Scotto noted, but it looks as if they’ll be going in another direction when it comes to loading up their roster this offseason.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-paul-george-reveals-priority-in-free-agency-and-its-not-an-nba-title">George may not have helped</a> his stock whatsoever with some of his most recent comments in his eponymous podcast, but he should still be one of the best two-way wings in the league moving forward — a must for any contending team to have on the roster. 6’8 forwards who average 23-5-4 while being one of the best floor-spacers in the association don’t grow on trees.</p><p>But the Rockets’ purported hesitation in going all-in on Paul George is understandable. They might prefer someone who can grow alongside their young core; meanwhile, George is entering the twilight years of his career. It will be interesting to see how the Rockets maneuver, especially when they’re armed with the third overall pick of the upcoming NBA Draft.</p><h2><b>Assessing the Rockets’ options</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mikal-Bridges-looking-sad.jpg"></figure><p>The Rockets have the luxury of choice when it comes to making their big move for this offseason. They can cobble together the contracts necessary to pull off a trade for a star player, and they have two future Brooklyn Nets picks that could be worth a lot given how much that roster appears to be in disarray these days. This is in addition to <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/teams/Rockets/11/draft-picks" rel="noopener">all their first-round picks</a> that they still own (they are only obligated to give up their 2026 first-round pick if it falls outside the top four).</p><p>Moreover, they also have some few young prospects to dangle; Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason could be breakout candidates in larger roles that may not be available for them with the Rockets while Jabari Smith Jr. is only 21 and could be a major piece in a monster trade. The Rockets are in an enviable position, and they can always add the third overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft to sweeten the deal even further.</p><p>With that said, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN wrote that the Rockets <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/40403204/2024-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-58-picks" rel="noopener">“could have interest</a> in targeting” the likes of Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Mikal Bridges and Brandon Ingram to fill their need for a star on the wing.</p><p>Given how much the Phoenix Suns gave up for Durant, there is no way they are giving up on him after just one and a half seasons. Durant is also under contract for two more years, so there is no urgency for the Suns to trade him away.</p><p>Butler, like Durant, is also under contract for two more seasons. The catch, however, is that he has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign. All reports suggest, however, that the Miami Heat aren’t interested in trading Jimmy Butler this offseason even though they aren’t willing to give him a huge extension.</p><p>The Nets already rebuffed the Rockets’ trade overtures for Mikal Bridges; can the two teams finally come to an agreement on a trade? Brandon Ingram is well on his way out of New Orleans; but do the Rockets see him as the piece that pushes them over the top?</p><p>The Rockets, per Givony and Woo, could also look into trading for Brook Lopez, someone they reportedly pursued in free agency last year, and they could also entertain the idea of trading for Marcus Smart to further add to their gritty, defensive identity.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets targeting Paul George, but there’s a catch

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-hornets-join-rockets-in-reed-sheppard-draft-pursuit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Hornets join Reed Sheppard draft pursuit with Rockets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Hornets-join-Reed-Sheppard-draft-pursuit-with-Rockets.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Hornets join Reed Sheppard draft pursuit with Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-21T12:28:52-07:00">June 21st, 12:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-21T12:28:52-07:00">June 21st, 12:28pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Draft is right around the corner and the rumor mill is red hot. We’ve already heard the Houston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-reed-sheppard-rockets-no-3-2024-draft">Rockets are potentially interested</a> in selecting Reed Sheppard out of Kentucky in the first round. However, it now sounds like the Charlotte Hornets are showing that same interest.</p><p>With rumors circulating that the Rockets may move back via trade, it sounds like the Hornets could be the team <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/with-bulls-roster-shakeup-underway-is-zach-lavine-the-next-piece-on-the-move-150136313.html" rel="noopener">eyeing to move up</a> from No. 6 to No. 3, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Houston has reportedly been interested in trading back for more draft capital while Charlotte likes what they’re seeing from Reed Sheppard.</p><p>“The Rockets, sources said, plan to entertain offers for the third pick, which could last all the way until Houston is on the clock Wednesday. The Rockets, sources said, are more intrigued by receiving future draft capital than any player who’s been made available to Houston at this point. Should the Rockets ultimately hold pat at this slot, unmotivated by external offers, Houston has been strongly linked by league personnel to Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, who’s considered one of Charlotte’s top priorities at No. 6.”</p><p>Sheppard’s draft stock has certainly been on the rise since the end of the college basketball season. He proved to be a reliable guard for the Kentucky Wildcats, averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. His efficient shooting (53.6 field goal percentage and 52.1 three-point percentage) should translate well in the NBA. Sheppard is ranked eighth on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-draft-big-board-4-0-donovan-clingan-pushing-zaccharie-risacher-alex-sarr">ClutchPoints’ Big Board</a> for the NBA Draft.</p><p>It’ll be interesting to see where Reed Sheppard lands. His style of play makes him an enticing prospect for most teams in the league and he should make an immediate impact as a rookie. The Hornets would be wise to select Sheppard in the NBA Draft. But we’ll have to see how it plays out. Due to his efficient scoring, Sheppard could be gone well before Charlotte selects at No. 6 overall. But a trade-up is definitely in play for this organization.</p><h2>Should the Hornets draft Reed Sheppard?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Reed-Sheppard-scoring-on-Vanderbilt.jpg"><figcaption>© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Reed Sheppard is currently projected to go sixth overall <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-3-0-donovan-clingan-to-rockets-amid-trade-rumors">to the Hornets</a> on ClutchPoints’ mock draft. So, Charlotte could get lucky and take one of their top targets without giving up other assets. That might just be the best-case scenario for this franchise as they aim to bring in another talented prospect amid their rebuild.</p><p>With that in mind, the question remains, is Sheppard a good fit for the Hornets? In short, the answer should be a resounding yes. Reed Sheppard would likely fit right in as a shooting guard on this roster. That would give Charlotte a formidable duo in the backcourt with LaMelo Ball and Reed Sheppard. Additionally, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges are to continue playing at the forward positions with Mark Williams at center.</p><p>Overall, that’s a solid starting lineup the Hornets can work with. Let that group develop while making some tweaks to the remainder of the roster and Charlotte could be a problem in the next couple of years. Reed Sheppard is a prospect this franchise should target.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Hornets join Reed Sheppard draft pursuit with Rockets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-pelicans-contact-rockets-76ers-about-brandon-ingram-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Pelicans contact Rockets, 76ers about Brandon Ingram trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/7527638393.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Pelicans contact Rockets, 76ers about Brandon Ingram trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-20T08:11:36-07:00">June 20th, 8:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-20T08:11:36-07:00">June 20th, 8:11am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans franchise appeared to be in an as enviable a position as any other team in the NBA as we entered the 2020s. They had a future superstar in Zion Williamson, a wing on the rise in Brandon Ingram, and a very deep arsenal of draft picks. Alas, this has not resulted in much success for them up to this point. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-intriguing-move-amid-brandon-ingram-trade-rumors">All they have to show</a> for it over the past four seasons are two playoff wins which all came in one playoff run (2022).</p><p>Thus, major changes may be coming for a Pelicans team that’s becoming expensive really quickly. With Ingram entering the final year of his contract, he appears to be the team’s most logical trade candidate. Two teams in particular have been floated as a possible destination for the former All-Star, with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5574543/2024/06/20/rockets-draft-notebook-donovan-clingan/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">those teams being</a> the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.</p><p>While he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory during the Pelicans’ short-lived stint in the 2024 NBA playoffs, Brandon Ingram is still an enticing player for teams in need of wing upgrades to pursue, especially after taking into account the fact that he averaged 21-5-6 this past season in 64 games — the most he has suited up in for a single season since his rookie campaign.</p><p>The Rockets have long been rumored to be in pursuit of a win-now trade for a star on the wing; they have been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-still-holding-out-hope-mikal-bridges-trade">setting their sights</a> on Mikal Bridges for the past year or so, and it makes a bit of sense for the Pelicans to try and talk to them regarding a potential Ingram trade instead as he could be available for a lower price due to his contract situation. Alas, the hypothetical swap mentioned was one that involved Alperen Sengun, and justifiably, the Rockets reportedly have “no interest” in such a deal.</p><p>Meanwhile, the 76ers’ desire to add a third star in this year’s offseason may be the worst-kept secret in the entire NBA. Joel Embiid <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-joel-embiid-paul-george-recruitment-barely-dodges-tampering">did everything but tamper</a> during his appearance on the ESPN booth during the NBA Finals alongside Paul George, signaling the 76ers’ intentions to shoot for the stars.</p><p>Whatever the case may be, it’s looking very likely that the Pelicans start next season without Brandon Ingram on the roster. The only question now is which jersey will Ingram be donning for the 2024-25 campaign?</p><h2><b>Rockets attempt to expedite their rebuild</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alperen-Sengun-dapping-up-Jalen-Green-1.jpg"></figure><p>The Rockets, after finishing with the <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=nba+worst+record+from+2020-21+to+2022-23+season" rel="noopener">worst cumulative record</a> from the 2020-21 to 2022-23 season (59-177, 25 percent win rate), improved astronomically this past season. After adding Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and hiring Ime Udoka to be their next head coach, the Rockets experienced major gains, winning 41 games and making the Golden State Warriors sweat in the race for a play-in tournament spot.</p><p>It also helped that the Rockets have drafted well over the past few seasons; Alperen Sengun has been a gem who has flourished as the centerpiece of the team’s offense, Jalen Green burst onto the scene as one of the best scorers in the NBA to end the 2023-24 season, while Amen Thompson functioned as a swiss-army knife who was a major plus on the defensive end as well as on the glass.</p><p>However, the Rockets, as an organization, appear to have a directive to win now. They reportedly offered a boatload of picks for Mikal Bridges, which suggests that they would want a stellar complementary player with elite defense on the wing.</p><p>Bridges, however, seems to be untouchable. The Rockets, however, have the assets to stick to their guns and pursue the player they really like. It appears as though they aren’t too keen on Brandon Ingram, as they want to double down on the team’s identity of defensive grit to surround Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, not exactly good defenders for their respective positions, with pieces that complement them perfectly.</p><h2><b>Is a trade with the Pelicans the 76ers’ Plan B?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Pelicans-forward-Brandon-Ingram-14-is-fouled-by-Philadelphia-76ers-forward-Danny-Green-14-and-center-Joel-Embiid-21.jpg"></figure><p>The 76ers know that the time for them to go big on the trade market or in free agency is now. They can delay signing Tyrese Maxey to a huge contract so they could fit in another max contract to bolster their Joel Embiid-led core. But in terms of asset management, signing Paul George seems to be the best option, as they won’t have to give up any draft assets to add him.</p><p>But if the Clippers re-sign George, the 76ers will be faced with a difficult decision. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-brandon-ingram-is-76ers-plan-b-if-paul-george-pursuit-fails">Pelicans loom</a> as a potential trade partner, with Brandon Ingram coming in and becoming their max guy on the wing, but if there is a trade to be made, expect it to happen once the first wave of signings in free agency has come and gone.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Pelicans contact Rockets, 76ers about Brandon Ingram trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-reed-sheppard-rockets-no-3-2024-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Reed Sheppard linked to Rockets at No. 3 in 2024 draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sheppard-rockets.jpeg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Reed Sheppard linked to Rockets at No. 3 in 2024 draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-19T07:59:42-07:00">June 19th, 7:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-19T08:05:38-07:00">June 19th, 8:05am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Who will the Houston Rockets <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-best-options-for-no-3-pick-in-2024-nba-draft">select with the No. 3 overall pick</a> in the 2024 NBA Draft? A number of players have been mentioned as possible No. 3 overall candidates. Reed Sheppard out of Kentucky was recently linked to the Rockets.</p><p>Houston has been rumored to potentially be interested in trading the pick. Other rumors suggest that Donovan Clingan <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nba-mock-draft-3-0-donovan-clingan-to-rockets-amid-trade-rumors">could be an option</a> for Houston. However, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN report that the Rockets “<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/NBADraft24-40343667/2024-nba-mock-draft-all-58-picks-trade-talks-heat-30-teams" rel="noopener">have demonstrated serious interest</a>” in Sheppard ahead of the NBA Draft.</p><p>Sheppard’s shooting ability has been a subject of discussion in NBA circles. The 19-year-old shot 53.6 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from beyond the arc across 33 games for Kentucky during the 2023-24 season. His efficiency unquestionably stands out.</p><p>But Sheppard’s playmaking ability, which is something that Givony and Woo also mentioned, is something that has caught NBA teams’ attention. The Rockets would like to add a playmaking guard but so would a number of other teams. And the fact that this specific playmaking guard can shoot the lights out from deep only helps his draft case.</p><p>Reed averaged 4.5 assists per outing with Kentucky. He added 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He is capable of helping out in multiple facets of the game which is clearly leading to interest ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.</p><h2><b>Reed Sheppard’s college career</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Reed-Sheppard-drives-to-the-basket.jpg"><figcaption>Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Sheppard spent just one season at Kentucky. He started only five of the 33 games he played in. Nevertheless, Sheppard played at a high level. Overall, he averaged 12.5 points per game to go along with his impressive shooting efficiency numbers.</p><p>Sheppard still has room for growth on the defensive end of the floor. It will be intriguing to see how he makes the adjustment to the NBA from a defensive standpoint. At the end of the day, it is Sheppard’s offensive game that is enticing the Rockets and other NBA teams.</p><p>Sheppard is only 6’3. His lack of size could leave some reason for concern. As long as he can continue to find success with his shot while growing as a playmaking guard, his size should not be too much of an issue.</p><h2><b>Rockets, NBA teams evaluating Sheppard’s potential</b></h2><p>Sheppard is an interesting draft prospect. He may be selected within the first three picks of the NBA Draft. With that being said, it would not be shocking to see Sheppard fall down some NBA Draft boards.</p><p>Shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arc at the college level is attention-catching to say the least. He has a chance to become a reliable three-point shooter in the NBA.</p><p>But can he become a star? That is the question teams are likely asking themselves. Otherwise, they will risk spending a high draft pick on a one-dimensional player. The good news for Sheppard is that scouts seem to believe that he brings more to the table than just shooting ability.</p><p>In the end, Sheppard’s playmaking development will go a long way towards deciding how his NBA career goes. If he becomes someone who consistently makes the right decision and sets up teammates for open looks, Sheppard can emerge as a well-rounded star guard.</p><p>And if the Rockets select him in the draft, they are surely hoping they get that version of Reed Sheppard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Reed Sheppard linked to Rockets at No. 3 in 2024 draft

2024 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Donovan Clingan to Rockets amid trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-still-holding-out-hope-mikal-bridges-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets still ‘holding out hope’ for Mikal Bridges trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Rockets-still-holding-out-hope-for-Mikal-Bridges-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets still ‘holding out hope’ for Mikal Bridges trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-04T10:50:43-07:00">June 4th, 10:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-04T10:50:43-07:00">June 4th, 10:50am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Head coach Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets have a lot to be excited about this offseason after what was a relatively successful 2023-24 season as compared to expectations entering the year. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-2-time-champion-gets-100-real-about-potentially-playing-alongside-alperen-sengun">Rockets narrowly missed</a> out on a postseason berth in the vaunted Western Conference playoff picture, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-ime-udokas-hilarious-response-luka-doncic-trash-talk">Udoka showed a</a> lot of poise in leading his young team to many more wins than they had compiled in the previous few years, giving Houston fans plenty of reason for optimism moving into the future.</p><p>The Rockets’ success late in the season, when they used an 11-game winning streak to nearly catch the Golden State Warriors in the standings, led some to <a href="https://nbadraft.theringer.com/mock-draft?_ga=2.73469586.1025920875.1687188729-1422519428.1686326814" rel="noopener">speculate on whether</a> the team may look to make a “win now” move this offseason in the hopes of breaking through to the big dance this offseason.</p><p>While it still appears unlikely, if the latest reports are any indication, the Rockets still haven’t given up hope on the possibility of trading for Brooklyn Nets small forward Mikal Bridges.</p><p>“League sources say the Rockets have had conversation with the Grizzlies about trading down from (the third overall) pick, and that the Rockets hold out hope that the Nets would be willing to move Mikal Bridges for it,” reported Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. “But those same sources say the Nets, on the contrary, prefer to add pieces around Bridges. If Houston stays put, (Donovan) Clingan or Reed Sheppard seem to be the most likely picks.”</p><p>The Rockets did indeed net themselves the number three overall pick in this year’s draft, which is not expected to be a very talented class but is still better than, say, not having the number three overall pick. O’Connor’s assertion that the Rockets would want to select big man Donovan Clingan out of UConn would seem to be a bit odd considering the team already has the center position on lock with the presence of Alperen Sengun (who ironically enough was out during the team’s hot streak at the end of the year but is still clearly their best player).</p><h2><b>How much would Bridges help?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mikal-Bridges-leaves-the-floor.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While he isn’t a star player, Mikal Bridges is one of the better role players in the NBA, bringing a Derrick White-esque combination of shot making, defensive prowess, and stability that makes any team he’s on better. Bridges has already proven that he can be the third best player on a championship contending team when he helped lead the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals back in 2021, and has only improved his game in the years since.</p><p>Bridges is currently in somewhat of a frustrating situation with the directionless Brooklyn Nets, who might well be in the worst position moving forward of any team in the NBA due to their draft immobility, salary cap situation, and general ineptitude. This being the case, in a vacuum it would make sense that the team would at least entertain the idea of getting some assets back for their best player.</p><p>In any case, the trade market will open back up in June.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets still ‘holding out hope’ for Mikal Bridges trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-no-3-trade-buzz-intensifies');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets’ No. 3 trade buzz intensifies');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rockets-No.-3-pick-trade-buzz-intensifies.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets’ No. 3 trade buzz intensifies</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-21T11:03:22-07:00">May 21st, 11:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-21T11:03:22-07:00">May 21st, 11:03am</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2024 NBA Draft is just about one month away and one team that has a major decision to make is the Houston Rockets. The Rockets used a little bit of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-trade-plans-for-no-3-pick-after-surprise-lottery-luck">draft lottery luck</a> to move up to the No. 3 overall pick. That’s incredible fortune for a team that finished with a .500 record of 41-41 and was in the postseason picture for a good part of the regular season.</p><p>Because of that, and in conjunction with last offseason’s moves, the Rockets are a team that is looking to be a playoff contender and might not want to add yet another young prospect to a roster that is full of them. As the NBA Draft draws near, the Rockets could <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5507812/2024/05/21/rockets-nba-draft-no-3-pick-donovan-mitchell/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">opt to trade</a> the No. 3 pick for a win-now player as per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.</p><p>Iko reported that at last week’s combine, several teams expressed interest in engaging the Rockets for a possible draft day trade for the No. 3 pick. But Iko also reports that despite the Rockets current trajectory, it’s not a given that they will end up trading the pick. In fact, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone told Iko that the team would keep the pick if it made sense.</p><p>“I don’t think there’s only one way to develop young players and I don’t think there’s only one way to build a roster. We definitely would draft someone and bring him into the fold if it made sense,” Stone said. “Because we like our current roster so much, it provides us with more flexibility to explore creative deals of all sorts.”</p><p>Iko reports that the Rockets could face a similar situation as last year when they were prepared to trade out of the first round of the NBA Draft. It wasn’t until Cam Whitmore was available at No. 20 that they opted to keep the pick. Should someone become available at No. 3 that they think fits their current roster, they’d likely hang on to the pick.</p><h2><b>Rockets are looking to make a leap in the Western Conference<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Alperen-Sengun-and-Jabari-Smith-Jr.-stand-on-the-court.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Rockets have not reached the NBA Playoffs since the 2019-20 season when they lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Los Angeles Lakers. That team’s roster is radically different from the one they have today.</p><p>The Rockets have a bevy of young players in Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore that figure to make up their future core. They did a good job adding solid veterans around them in Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks.</p><p>The team finished with their best regular season record since that 2019-20 season. It’s clear that the goal is to win now and taking a step back next season would be considered a failure. The core of that aforementioned group will be back next season barring any trade as they are all under contract. The only player the team will need to make a decision on is Green as they hold a team option.</p><p>It will be interesting to see what the Rockets ultimately end up doing. Do they feel they can net a major impact player by trading the the pick, or do they think they can add a impact guy to their core.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets’ No. 3 trade buzz intensifies

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-interested-donovan-mitchell-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets among teams interested in Donovan Mitchell trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NBA-rumors-Rockets-among-teams-interested-in-Donovan-Mitchell-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets among teams interested in Donovan Mitchell trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-21T10:25:02-07:00">May 21st, 10:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-21T10:25:02-07:00">May 21st, 10:25am</time><address><a>Matthew Schmidt</a>Matthew Schmidt has been writing about sports since 2011 and is based in New Jersey. He primarily specializes in NFL these days, but has also extensively covered the NBA and MLB and has written for numerous websites.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If the Cleveland Cavaliers end up trading Donovan Mitchell <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-donovan-mitchell-trade-conversations-offseason-playoff-loss-celtics">this offseason</a>, the Houston Rockets <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5507812/2024/05/21/rockets-nba-draft-no-3-pick-donovan-mitchell/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">may be interested</a>.</p><p>The Rockets own the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft next month, so that would be a great starting point in a potential trade package for Mitchell. Houston also has considerable young talent and draft capital in general, which could make the team a prime contender to land Mitchell, notes Kelly Iko of The Athletic.</p><p>Trade speculation has been swirling around Mitchell after the Cavaliers were bounced from the second round of the playoffs. Mitchell has one year remaining on his deal and then has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign. He has not seemed all that eager to sign an extension in Cleveland, and the general consensus is that he will eventually decline his player option next offseason if it gets to that point.</p><p>Mitchell also does not seem to be a great fit with Darius Garland, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavaliers-news-is-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-offseason-breakup-looming">leading to rumors</a> that the Cavs may have to trade one of the two in order to salvage the situation long term. Mitchell would obviously have more value, but if the Cavaliers want to run it back with Mitchell again, you may see Garland end up being the odd man out.</p><p>Of course, that also depends on whether or not Cleveland feels that Mitchell will be with the club long term.</p><h2><b>The Rockets are an interesting fit for Donovan Mitchell</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Donovan-Mitchell-1.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Rockets don’t have the third overall pick in the draft because they stunk this season. They have it because they landed it from the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade back in 2021, and the Nets were terrible this year.</p><p>As a matter of fact, Houston finished a very respectable 41-41 during the 2023-24 campaign and even made a brief push for a playoff spot.</p><p>If you had Mitchell into the mix, the Rockets will suddenly become very interesting.</p><p>Houston’s top young pieces are Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. It doesn’t stop there, however. The Rockets also have Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore. The oldest of that group is Eason, who is 22. The youngest? Whitmore at 19.</p><p>Obviously, Houston wouldn’t be able to keep all of those players in the event of a Mitchell trade. However, the Rockets’ surplus of young talent makes a trade for a star player like Mitchell that much more feasible, as they wouldn’t have to completely gut their roster.</p><p>Again, Houston is also loaded with future draft picks.</p><p>The question is, would Mitchell really want to go to the Rockets?</p><p>If Mitchell ends up wanting out of Cleveland, it will be because the Cavs aren’t ready to win. Would he then want to go to a Houston squad that has not made the playoffs in four years? Obviously, the Rockets have a ton of potential, but Mitchell may very well have reached a point where he wants to win immediately.</p><p>As tantalizing as Houston may be for the future, it probably would not present Mitchell with the best opportunity to win a championship in 2025.</p><p>Remember: Mitchell has a player option for the 2025-26 campaign, and if the Rockets don’t think Mitchell would want to stay for the long haul, they probably won’t want to take the chance of trading away a bunch of assets for what could be a one-year rental.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets among teams interested in Donovan Mitchell trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-trade-plans-for-no-3-pick-after-surprise-lottery-luck');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets’ trade plans for No. 3 pick after surprise lottery luck');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rockets-trade-plans-for-No.-3-pick-after-surprise-lottery-luck.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets’ trade plans for No. 3 pick after surprise lottery luck</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-13T10:41:23-07:00">May 13th, 10:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-13T10:41:23-07:00">May 13th, 10:41am</time><address><a>Nayan Brahmbhatt</a>Nayan Brahmbhatt is a recent graduate from Queen's University's Smith School of Business living in Toronto, Ontario. He is passionate about and has been involved in sports since a young age, and continues to reminisce about the (brief) time Kawhi spent in Toronto. Although he can talk shop about the Raptors and Ravens all day, what's really always on his mind is having finished his undergrad without having won a single fantasy or intramural league.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a stunning twist of fate in the NBA draft lottery, the Houston Rockets secured the third overall pick, unexpectedly moving up from the ninth spot originally owned by the Brooklyn Nets (that Nets-Rockets trade appears to be the gift that just keeps on giving). This leap <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/40134868/lowe-latest-draft-intel-trade-buzz-superstitions-nba-secret-draft-lottery-room" rel="noopener">not only offers</a> the Rockets a prime draft position, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe, but also adds complexity to their offseason strategy, given their current roster composition and future ambitions.</p><p>The arrival of the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the Rockets’ front office. The team must decide whether to leverage this asset to enhance their current lineup through a trade or to select another promising young player to join their ranks.</p><p>Given their current roster and goals, trading the No. 3 pick could be a strategic move for the Rockets. The ability to bundle this pick with other assets gives Houston the leverage to chase a high-caliber player who can make an immediate impact. Prior to the trade deadline, the Rockets <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-draft-lottery-intel-whats-next-for-each-team/" rel="noopener">showed interest</a> in Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, indicating their desire to add more established talent to support their playoff ambitions.</p><p>The Rockets can trade as many as five first-round picks this offseason, a significant arsenal that could be deployed to acquire a star. The focus is clear: Houston is looking to build a team that not only reaches the playoffs but also contends seriously. Rafael Stone, Houston’s general manager, is expected to be very active on the trade market as the draft approaches.</p><p>Despite the allure of trading for immediate help, there are compelling reasons to retain the No. 3 pick. Drafting a young player with high potential could offer long-term benefits, especially given the relatively lower salaries for rookies. This approach would also sustain the team’s youth movement, providing continuity and the chance for internal development, which Rockets coach Ime Udoka emphasized is crucial for the team’s success.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean, the goal last year was obviously to make the playoffs,” Udoka said following the draft lottery. “We still fell a little bit short of that, but that’s always the goal with us. When you look at the players that we have and the coaching staff that has the same ambitions, not making the playoffs, just sitting here at this time of year kind of stings, and everybody feels that. So we’re aiming for higher things next year.”</p><p>Moreover, keeping the pick could balance the Rockets’ financial commitments across the roster, enabling them to manage the salary cap more effectively while still enhancing their squad’s depth and potential.</p><p>The decision on what to do with the No. 3 pick will be influenced by the dynamics of the market and the depth of talent in the draft pool. The quality of prospects available at the third pick will be a critical factor. If a player with star potential is available, it could sway the Rockets’ decision towards making the selection rather than pursuing a trade.</p><p>Furthermore, the trade market itself will be a determinant. The value of the No. 3 pick in trade discussions will depend on the demand for top draft choices and the availability of star players willing to move. Houston’s front office will need to gauge this carefully, seeking a deal that aligns with their strategic objectives.</p><h2>Strategic Implications for the New-Look Rockets</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rockets-additions-last-season-1.jpg"></figure><p>The Rockets’ handling of the No. 3 pick will have significant implications for their strategy moving forward. Choosing whether to trade the pick or use it to select a player will signal the direction the team is heading. A trade would indicate a shift to a more immediate competitive mode, while selecting a player would emphasize continued growth and development.</p><p>The Rockets are at a crossroads, featuring a young and talented core that includes Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Cam Whitmore. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-free-agency-3-year-130-million-contract">The Rockets’ 2023 summer additions</a> of veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks further <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-dillon-brooks-gets-90-million-good-news-after-sign-and-trade-to-houston">signified the Rockets’ intent</a> to pivot from a rebuilding phase to a more competitive stance. After a 41-win season, the expectations are only mounting.</p><p>In any scenario, the Rockets must balance short-term competitive needs with long-term sustainability. This involves not only managing their talent on the floor but also their financial commitments off it. The NBA’s salary cap mechanics and the costs associated with a growing, talented young roster will play crucial roles in their decision-making process.</p><p>As the NBA draft approaches, all eyes will be on the Houston Rockets and their high-stakes decision regarding the No. 3 pick. Whether they choose to trade it for immediate improvement or use it to pick another young talent, the decision will be pivotal in shaping the team’s future. In the high-stakes world of the NBA, such opportunities are rare, and the Rockets’ choice will reveal much about their vision for the coming years.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets’ trade plans for No. 3 pick after surprise lottery luck

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-rockets-confident-in-alperen-sengun-jalen-green-but-open-to-trade-options');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Rockets confident in Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green but there’s a catch');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alperen-Sengun-dapping-up-Jalen-Green.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Rockets confident in Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green but there’s a catch</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-29T15:08:18-07:00">March 29th, 3:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-29T15:08:18-07:00">March 29th, 3:08pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-tari-eason-trash-talk-warriors-win-play-in-race">Rockets have caught fire</a> lately as they’re now in the mix for a spot in the play-in tournament. There’s still some work to do, but the future is looking bright for this franchise. With that in mind, rumors suggest the team loves the idea of building around both Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. However, there is a catch.</p><p>Rumors are the Rockets want to keep Sengun and Green on the roster <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-paul-george-klay-thompson-futures-decided-nba-playoffs">for the long term</a>, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Houston views the two of them as foundational pieces to build around.</p><p>“The Rockets have not given any indications that they will look to move Sengun. The 21-year-old has one more year left on his rookie contract, and the team has interest in a long-term extension, league sources said.</p><p>The same mindset of keeping their young, rising talents around exists for Green as well. Despite rumors suggesting that the Rockets were bringing up Green’s name in trade rumors, they are confident in his ability to be a star for the foreseeable future. Like Sengun, Green will be eligible for an extension this upcoming offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.”</p><p>Although that may be true, rumors also suggest the Rockets could be open to a big trade. If that’s the case, it sounds like Houston could potentially trade one of Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green. Or perhaps both. But the franchise would want “an All-Star quality player, who is not on an expiring deal.”</p><p>“The belief from rival organizations in the Western Conference is that the Rockets will only include Green or Sengun in trade talks if they can land an All-Star quality player, who is not on an expiring deal, in return. Houston wants to win and will do what it takes to get back to an elite level, a spot they believe Udoka can take them to within the next couple of seasons. All options remain on the table for the Rockets in their pursuit of winning despite their belief in the young core.”</p><h2>Rockets’ bright future</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alperen-Sengun-dapping-up-Jalen-Green-1.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>No matter what Houston does moving forward the franchise has a bright future ahead. Keeping Sengun and Green on the roster to continue building around makes a ton of sense. Especially with how well Jalen Green has been playing recently.</p><p>Making the playoffs this season would be huge <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-power-rankings-week-23-rockets-surge-on-verge-play-in-tournament">for this Rockets team</a>. Considering they’ve been rebuilding for several years now, it appears everything is beginning to come together. But the front office may want to add an All-Star veteran to the roster for next season. Hopefully, Houston can find that talent without having to give up Sengun or Green. But the NBA offseason is incredibly unpredictable.</p><p>With that said, look for the Rockets to continue playing well with just several games remaining in the regular season. They’re knocking on the door of the play-in tournament and could force the Golden State Warriors out of the playoff race.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Rockets confident in Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green but there’s a catch

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-nets-player-rockets-eyeing-failed-mikal-bridges-trade-efforts');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: The Nets player Rockets are eyeing after failed Mikal Bridges trade efforts');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_The_Nets_player_Rockets_are_eyeing_after_failed_Mikal_Bridges_trade_efforts.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: The Nets player Rockets are eyeing after failed Mikal Bridges trade efforts</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-08T08:29:21-08:00">February 8th, 8:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-08T08:29:21-08:00">February 8th, 8:29am</time><address><a>Tim Crean</a>Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined ClutchPoints in 2022. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL, NBA, soccer, sports media, and more. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie, it is a dream to write about sports professionally. He’s a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York and when he’s not enjoying a round of golf he's probably coaching youth soccer or flag football. You can catch all of his sports-related musings on Twitter at @twcrean.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the NBA trade deadline heats up on Thursday, teams are rolling with the punches as players get dealt or teams pull them off the trading block. For the Houston Rockets, who were hot in pursuit of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-insider-suggests-nets-get-picks-back-from-rockets-in-mikal-bridges-trade" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges</a>, that means pivoting to Bridges’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-bucks-suns-among-royce-oneale-suitors-ahead-of-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">teammate Royce O’Neale</a> after realizing a trade for the former isn’t going to work.</p><p>“Following an aggressive pursuit of Nets forward Mikal Bridges, as first reported by HoopsHype, the Houston Rockets expressed interest in another Nets player, league sources told HoopsHype – Royce O’Neale,” Michael Scotto <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-trade-deadline-rumors-the-latest-intel-on-all-30-teams/" rel="noopener">reported on Thursday</a>.</p><p>The Rockets are in an interesting position at the NBA trade deadline as both buyers and sellers. They are looking to add a 3-and-D wing, with Bridges as the grand prize and O’Neale as the consolation. On the selling side, Scotto also reports that there is interest around the league in Rockets swingman Jae’Sean Tate and point guard Aaron Holiday. Additionally, “center Jock Landale remains available on the trade market.”</p><p>The young Rockets are in an interesting position, sitting in 12th in the Western Conference. They started the campaign 13-9 but have slowly fallen down the standings. Even two slots out of the play-in tournament, though, Houston is only two games back in the loss column of the Los Angeles Lakers in the No. 9 spot.</p><p>With the right moves at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, the Rockets have a real chance to get back to their winning ways and challenge for their first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: The Nets player Rockets are eyeing after failed Mikal Bridges trade efforts

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-blockbuster-move-rockets-more-likely-summer-before-deadline');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Blockbuster move for Rockets more likely in summer than before deadline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors__Blockbuster_move_for_Rockets_more_likely_in_summer_than_before_deadline.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Blockbuster move for Rockets more likely in summer than before deadline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-05T15:47:53-08:00">February 5th, 3:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-05T15:47:53-08:00">February 5th, 3:47pm</time><address><a>Brian Buyawe</a>Brian Buyawe is a sports aficionado with a passion for basketball, football and Formula One. His hobbies include running, reading and playing in recreational leagues. Back when he was a kid, Brian stumbled upon an old Larry Bird documentary among his family's collection of movies, which made him a lifelong Celtics fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets had recently undergone a trade <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-how-grizzlies-rockets-steven-adams-trade-impacts-2024-nba-trade-deadline" rel="noopener">involving Steven Adams</a> and Victor Oladipo. While it may seem that the team is laying low for now with the deadline just days away, anything can still happen. The Rockets, despite their young core, are 11th in the Western Conference with a below .500 record (23-26). At one point, the team was in 6th place back in December with 13 wins and 9 losses. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone their way since then.</p><p>Nonetheless, having a roster full of youth and potential could make them well-respected suitors for any team in the league. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-insider-suggests-nets-get-picks-back-from-rockets-in-mikal-bridges-trade" rel="noopener">The Rockets have</a> the future draft picks, salary and the aforementioned young core to make as good an offer as any for the next disgruntled superstar, per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. Houston was <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/rockets-priorities-shifting-as-nba-trade-deadline-nears-180638480.html" rel="noopener">reportedly ready to enter</a> the bidding market if big names such as Donovan Mitchell, Joel Embiid or Zion Williamson somehow became available.</p><p>The possibility of a big deal seems unlikely for now with the trade window about to close. If the Rockets are indeed desperate for a blockbuster move, they’ll have to wait until next summer for any potential openings.</p><p>While this may be attributed to the organization wanting an immediate playoff push, some Rockets fans might not be too keen on trading the team’s current players. Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore have plenty of years ahead to improve and reach their full potential.</p><p>Regardless, at the end of the day, the front office has the final say on major decisions. For now, the Houston faithful and everyone else will have to wait and hope that the choices made are what’s best for the team moving forward.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Blockbuster move for Rockets more likely in summer than before deadline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-insider-suggests-nets-get-picks-back-from-rockets-in-mikal-bridges-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Insider suggests Nets get picks back from Rockets in Mikal Bridges trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NBA_rumors_Insider_suggests_Nets_get_picks_back_from_Rockets_in_Mikal_Bridges_trade.webp"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Insider suggests Nets get picks back from Rockets in Mikal Bridges trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-05T15:01:09-08:00">February 5th, 3:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-05T15:02:03-08:00">February 5th, 3:02pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets reportedly have been interested in acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets recently. Although it seems that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-ruled-out-for-warriors-matchup-ahead-of-back-to-back" rel="noopener">Nets</a> are unwilling to move Bridges, and want to build around him instead, Zach Lowe <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/surgery-for-embiid-trade-deadline-chatter-and-mvp/id986595124?i=1000644243903" rel="noopener">speculated</a> that Brooklyn could get all of its picks back from the initial James Harden trade if they do end up negotiating a deal with the Rockets.</p><p>“In theory, and the NBA doesn’t live in theory. An offer in which the Nets get all their picks back and swaps back is very very valuable to them and might be actually worth Mikal Bridges, who’s a very good player, has not made the next leap this season that I think the Nets hoped he would make,” Zach Lowe said, via The Lowe Post. “Nor has Cam Johnson by the way, and so the KD trade return doesn’t look as pretty as it did a year ago, I actually think they did great in that trade, I still think that to get all the Phoenix Suns draft assets. If you want to pursue a player of that caliber, you need other players that he wants to play with on your team and they don’t have Mikal Bridges, maybe they re-sign Nick Claxton, like I’m not sure that’s enough.”</p><p>Regardless, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-cam-thomas-forcing-future-plans" rel="noopener">Nets</a> are left in an interesting spot when it comes to the post-KD era. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are nice young pieces, but it remains to be seen whether they can be built around to make a championship team. The Rockets would like to add Bridges to help them contend now, despite being under .500. It seems like a longshot, but it is an interesting hypothetical.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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