Why Ths trade makes sense for the Houston Rockets
James Harden wants out of Houston and no longer feels like they have the ability to contend for a championship. While he may or may not be right about that statement, the Rockets are going to continue trying to do everything they can to win and compete with or without James Harden and by making this trade, they set themselves up for sustained success now and for years to come.
Kyle Lowry played in Houston near the beginning of his career from 2009-2012 and rejoining them now could be a great thing for the Rockets. Although they already have John Wall in the backcourt, Kyle Lowry is not as ball-dominant of a guard as people make him out to be and this duo could actually work out pretty well.
He is nearing the end of his career, but Lowry has made six consecutive All-Star game appearances and is still playing at one of the highest-levels of his career. There is no doubt that he could easily help keep the Rockets a contender in the Western Conference and with all of the draft picks they would be receiving, Houston would be set up for a lot of success moving forward.
When they acquired Russell Westbrook ahead of the 2019-20 season, Houston traded away a lot of their draft capital and were left with just a few first-round picks through 2027. By trading Harden to the Raptors, they would be able to draft a sustainable, young core to build for future years alongside their current star players in Lowry, Wall and even Christian Wood, who could end up being this season’s Most Improved Player.
Many believe that this Rockets organization will fall apart when James Harden leaves/gets traded, but ultimately, they have made some pretty decent moves that have set themselves up for success with or without Harden. John Wall playing at a high-level is definitely an encouraging site and the signing of Christian Wood looks like one of the better signings made this past offseason so far this season.
Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell can have an enormous impact on the Rockets organization moving forward and while Lowry has just a handful of years left in the league, he can keep this organization in playoff contention as they build a young core for the future. Trading Harden to Toronto is one of the better moves the Houston Rockets could make this year and moving forward.
