Why the Trade Benefits the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets came into the NBA offseason with a clear plan of cleaning house. They did so with Russell Westbrook and James Harden is doing his best to find a way out of town. Harden has requested a trade and provided a list of preferred destinations and the Boston Celtics are included on his latest edition. He even missed sometime during the preseason. Now, the ball is in the court of the front office.

Harden has overstayed his welcome with the Rockies. He is one of the best isolation scorers in NBA history but it has not led to success. Harden has had plenty of time to win in Houston but has not been able to. Sometimes, it benefits a team to move on from their star if his time is up. That is the situation here.

If they get a return like this from the Celtics, the deal would be impossible to turn down. The Rockets would immediately get another franchise player in Jaylen Brown. Marcus Smart has shown his worth over the last two years and would become a starting player for the Rockets.

Throw in young players like Romeo Langford and Robert Williams II with some first-round picks and you have an incredible deal for a disgruntled player. It’s more than enough for the Rockets to work with long-term while having an intriguing team right away.

If the Rockets are serious about changing the dynamic of the franchise with Stephen Silas as head coach, this trade is perfect. It would give them a direct roadmap to retooling the franchise in a short amount of time.