Dec. 15 is typically the annual date that serves as the unofficial kickoff to NBA trade season. That is the date when most of the players who signed new contracts in the offseason become eligible to be traded, which helps teams significantly when it comes to matching salary in proposals.
For the 2022-23 season, Dec. 15 arrives on Thursday.
So, what does that mean for the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets? While almost anyone on the roster is likely to be available under the right circumstances, with the obvious exceptions being blue-chip prospects Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. However, contending teams appear to be keeping an eye on two Rockets trade candidates.
One is veteran guard Eric Gordon, who turns 34 years old on Christmas and doesn’t seem likely to still be in his prime years when Houston is next a contender. The Rockets resisted trading Gordon last season and over the offseason, citing his value as a veteran leader, but the calculus could change now that Houston has more young wing prospects (like rookie Tari Eason) in the mix, which could give general manager Rafael Stone a larger incentive to free up minutes.
Another possibility is forward KJ Martin. That is not necessarily due to his age (21) but to the fact offseason reports indicated Martin was uncertain about his future in Houston due to a lack of clarity regarding his role and minutes. That was particularly the case after the team drafted Smith and Eason in the 2022 first round. Since then, however, Martin has found a more established sixth-man role.
So, where are things at as Dec. 15 approaches? National NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic has the intel:
Multiple league sources said the Suns recently engaged in three-team talks that would have sent (Jae) Crowder to Milwaukee, four Bucks second-round draft picks along with players to Houston, and Eric Gordon and/or Kenyon Martin Jr. to Phoenix.
The hold up in the potential three-teamer was that the Rockets are coveting one first-round pick for Gordon, and for Martin a very good first-rounder, not a batch of second-rounders, according to sources. The Rockets have had interest in Gordon from several contending teams, sources said, but appear less willing to entertain the topic of Martin.
New Inside Pass at @TheAthletic: Lakers pursuits, potential three-team Jae Crowder deal conversations, latest on John Collins and more.https://t.co/CYYnDvWXjH
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 12, 2022
Houston reportedly turned down Gordon proposals involving first-round picks at the February 2022 trade deadline and again in the offseason, since those picks were low in the first-round order. Charania’s report doesn’t include such a qualifier, which might signal an increased willingness by Stone to deal Gordon, given the team’s apparent incentive to free up minutes for younger players.
Charania’s report also throws cold water on the idea of trading Martin, who at 21 years old is in perfect age alignment with the rest of Houston’s burgeoning young core. While it would be foolish to rule out a Martin trade — it only takes one team to meet the asking price — there’s no reason for Houston to seek a deal for a player that already fits on the floor and within the construct of its rebuild.
If some other team wants to offer a “very good first rounder” for Martin, of course the Rockets would listen, since Martin doesn’t appear to be a star-level player. But it’s hard to imagine another team doing that given Martin will become a free agent after the 2023-24 season (much sooner than a new draftee would), and the 2023 NBA draft lottery is seen by most analysts as being loaded with many prospects who appear to have more star upside than Martin does.
Beyond 2023, it would appear difficult to impossible for Stone to determine what meets that very good criteria, given the constant changes to NBA standings. He’d also have to weight the reality that giving a 21-year-old Martin to that team likely makes them better for the foreseeable future, thus decreasing the value of their draft assets.
In short, what makes sense for the Rockets in a hypothetical Martin trade likely wouldn’t for another team, and what makes sense for another team probably doesn’t for the Rockets. Even so, since Martin isn’t a star player, it would be foolish for Stone to completely eliminate the possibility. All it takes is one team to pay that premium. But in reality, Gordon appears much more likely to be moved.
