Houston Rockets could target superstars Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler via Trade

It’s in Houston now. Yeah, sort of. The Rockets are poised to become a contending franchise, which comes years after James Harden forced his way out via trade and launched a rebuild.

The team started to rebuild in the traditional way and built a young core through depth. The team quickly grew impatient, which led to them signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks last season.

Now the team is ready to continue building a win-now roster, which could lead to some substantial decisions this season. With the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and plenty of young talent as trading chips, there is reason to believe that general manager Rafael Stone can take this team to the next level.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported Monday that the team could be in the market to land a few star forwards, including superstars Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler, as well as Mikal Bridges and Brandon Ingram.

“The Rockets are clearly in win-now mode and would like to add star power to their roster, with players like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Mikal Bridges and Brandon Ingram, as well as role players like Brook Lopez and Marcus Smart. Other teams say the Rockets could be interested in targeting (with some names being more far-fetched than others),” Givony wrote.

Landing talents like Durant and Butler – two superstar forwards on teams with no clear path to improvement as potential contenders – seems far-fetched for the Rockets. However, they do have credit capital and young talent who can help a team that is in a roster-building rut rebuild.

Bridges and Ingram are much more accessible to the Rockets, although Bridges may be the most feasible. Either way, the Rockets will have to sacrifice some of their future in exchange for win-now players.

Expect Houston to have plenty of presence on the trade market leading up to the draft, and if they don’t make a move, they’ll be mixed in rumors and reports all offseason.

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