At 28-14, the Houston Rockets are second in the Western Conference. Ime Udoka and the Rockets have been a surprising team in the first half of the season. Houston has a mix of young players and veteran talent. While the Rockets are thriving, their front office is not slowing down.
NBA insider Evan Sidery reported that the Rockets have an interest in making a trade with the Trail Blazers. Houston wants to acquire backup big man Robert Williams from Portland. The Rockets would like to upgrade their frontcourt and Williams is a player they have in mind. In 2024-25, Williams has missed 28 of Portland’s 43 games. Will Houston be able to complete a trade for Williams?
The Rockets and Trail Blazers have had ‘exploratory’ trade talks for Robert Williams
The Rockets and Trail Blazers recently conducted exploratory trade talks centered on Robert Williams.
Houston is openly shopping Jock Landale’s non-guaranteed multi-year contract in order to upgrade their frontcourt.
Portland has strong interest from contenders on Williams. pic.twitter.com/5WCYHt4IUH
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) January 21, 2025
Robert Williams is in his seventh professional season and his second with the Portland Trail Blazers. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Williams was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers in a three-team deal. Last season, Williams played in only six games for the Trail Blazers due to a knee injury. He needed surgery and missed 76 total games for Portland in 2023-24. The Trail Blazers have played 43 games in 2024-25 and Williams has missed 28 of them. On Tuesday, he played his 15th game of the season.
Despite the injury history, Portland is drawing trade interest for their backup center. The Houston Rockets are in contact with the Trail Blazers and have had “exploratory” trade talks. Houston is openly shopping Jock Landale’s non-guaranteed multi-year contract. Parting ways with Landale would help the Rockets upgrade their frontcourt.
Robert Williams has a previous history with Rockets’ head coach Ime Udoka. He was the Celtics’ head coach in 2021-22. That could be another reason why Houston would like to add Williams. If they do make a trade, Robert Williams will be the third-string center. Alperen Sengun is the starter and Steven Adams comes off the bench. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, February 6.
