we can breathe now.
Thursday's trade deadline started fairly slowly before gaining momentum. I had some thoughts on what the Rockets, Spurs, and Grizzlies did or didn't do. So here it is:
• There was a moment Thursday afternoon during a flurry of trades when it looked like Houston might get in on the action. The Rockets had a few possibilities on deadline day (shooting and paths to add depth at center), but decided to stick with it. The same roster that started the season in Orlando will finish the regular season.
Do I agree with that? Not necessarily. When an organization hires a new head coach like Ime Udoka, who is focused on winning and has gone to great lengths to eradicate the previous culture, everything that happens from that point forward is Must match. Playoffs, especially if you have unfinished projects such as goal accomplishments. I've been to a lot of NBA press conferences, but I don't think I've ever sat in on one where a coach talks about what areas of his team he wants to improve before the trade deadline. I thought that would force the Houston team to do something over the line.
• But looking through a macro lens, it's not a bleak scenario for the Rockets to choose to let the deadline pass without taking action. While he understands the Rockets' Twitter predicament – constantly trading second-round picks, worrying about rotation and pondering development – his long-term goals remain. The purpose of the reconstruction was always to return to contention. There's no guidebook or clear path to getting there, and every NBA champion takes a different route, but it takes a star. And unless you develop a star quickly, you need roster and asset flexibility, which Houston currently has.
• Come summer, the Rockets will be in a good position to get things going. Rookies Cam Whitmore and Armen Thompson look like offensive and defensive steals, respectively, and will have one season of experience under their belt. Alperen Shengyun looks like a foundational guy sandwiched between a solid floor general in Fred VanVleet and a legitimate two-way ball stopper in Dillon Brooks. Houston has a backbone. Factor in Brooklyn's draft capital, Houston's draft capital, and the remaining second-round pick, and you have the makings of a trade threat.
Consider me in the minority. But I think there's more to the Steven Adams deal than meets the eye. Of course, as Shengun's veteran leader, he has solid rebounding, rim protection, and physical strength, which would be valuable if he is healthy. But even if that doesn't happen, that's additional salary that could be traded if the opportunity arises. It's also better for Houston to operate as an over-the-cap team as long as they don't hit taxes and stay close to taxes. And maybe something could happen with Donovan Mitchell or Lauri Markkanen? You never know in the NBA. The Rockets are prepared for any outcome and should be proactive this offseason.
• I would have liked to have seen Memphis be a little more aggressive near the deadline, especially considering the type of players they moved and the relatively low cost of the move. But like Houston, there appears to be a more important goal. The Grizzlies already knew their season would be lost long before Desmond Bane and Jay Morant's surgical ankle injuries. An aggressive approach makes some sense, but would trading him for another 3-and-D player pay off? that Does it make a lot of sense at this point, especially considering Memphis' injury? At one point, 13 of the 15 first-team players were on the injury report. Moving on from Xavier Tillman made sense. He was a useful, large, but underrated defender who performed admirably during the playoffs, but was definitely a defender with limitations offensively.
A positive approach would be to wait until the summer when the Grizzlies acquire enough interesting salary (Luke Kennard, Brandon Clarke, maybe even Marcus Smart) and additional draft picks to add another key player. That's it. By next season, Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. will account for nearly 70 percent of Memphis' cap space. That's a lot of money for a team that, even when healthy, is probably in the second division of the Western Conference. I wonder if they did something to avoid taxes (expected to go a little over next season) and give them more wiggle room (given the timeline, they could have released Adams' contract) It was wise to do so). The Grizzlies are a Phase 3 team and will have to cosplay Phase 2 for the time being, but as long as the trio stays healthy, anything can happen.
• San Antonio's deadline was quiet (Marcus Morris isn't going to spend the day there, according to Shams Charania), but I think their rebuild doesn't have to be as long and difficult as it seems. I also believe that However, there's no reason this team shouldn't win just two more games in the regular season than Detroit. none. The Spurs will have some issues to resolve in the offseason — including the possibility of finding new homes for Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins, who are scheduled to make more than $35 million in 2024-25, and the possibility of finding new prospects at point guard. You may find a solution. But there's no need to plot this out over four or five seasons. Devin Vassell is fine now. Jeremy Sochan is versatile, a stubborn defender and unselfish. Victor Wembaneyama may be the best rookie we've seen in a while and already looks like a threatening defender while still exploring his offensive skills, but he can't do it alone. The Spurs will have to do something they haven't done in a while, be aggressive in free agency and the trade market, and look for the best fit around Wembaneyama. Names like Johnson and Collins should be attractive to the team, and San Antonio also has plenty of young players they could include in any deal.
(Top photo of Jaylen Green and Aaron Holiday: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
