Should Houston actually trade Christian Wood?

When the Houston Rockets initially traded for Christian Wooden, they had been attempting to perform two objectives:

1) Purchase a useful participant that might neatly match subsequent to Russell Westbrook and James Harden

2) Be sure that participant is younger sufficient in case they must transition to a rebuild

Wooden’s flooring spacing as a rim runner and shooter theoretically opened up a number of the greatest components of James Harden and Russell Westbrook’s recreation. If Harden and Westbrook had been to each purchase in, the basketball match made loads of sense. The issue is neither of them purchased in. Westbrook requested a commerce in mid-November and Harden adopted up together with his personal commerce request just a few days later.

Houston was very open about wanting a promising younger participant and a bundle of first spherical picks in trade for Harden. Had the Rockets traded for a 25-year-old Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers reported bundle, Wooden nonetheless match into their new timeline. Nevertheless, the Brooklyn Nets provided Houston a historic quantity of first spherical picks and a pathway to expiring wage and the Rockets believed it was an excessive amount of to show down.

Right here is the fact of the place issues stand with Christian Wooden and the Rockets. Houston will enter the 2022-23 season with their nucleus nonetheless on rookie offers and long-term workforce management. Wooden will likely be 27-years-old and on the final 12 months of his contract. The Rockets even have Daniel Theis, Alperen Sengun, Usman Garuba, and Jae’Sean Tate battling for minutes within the frontcourt. Regardless of how you’re feeling about Wooden as a participant, these are components you must take into account.

The additional you might be from a championship roster, the tougher it’s to justify giving out dangerous contracts. It’s one factor for a title contender to overpay a task participant to finish the puzzle or run again a championship nucleus. It’s completely completely different to overpay that very same stage of participant as a rebuilding workforce. Along with jeopardizing priceless cap house, if you’re rebuilding, each contract on the roster ought to ideally be a impartial asset. Damaging belongings on the roster make it troublesome to assemble trades.

Christian Wooden might demand a contract past what Houston is comfy paying. Pretty much as good as Wooden is, he hasn’t proven sufficient to justify a max contract – one thing he might very nicely ask for in 2023. As a complimentary piece, there’s a ceiling on what Houston ought to look to provide him. It could be scary to let a superb participant stroll away and the press could possibly be brutal, nevertheless it’s typically the proper factor to do when he’s demanding an unreasonable greenback quantity. The frequent retort – “letting an asset stroll for nothing” – is not legitimate if the choice is signing that participant to a nasty contract.

However Houston doesn’t have to fret about that in the event that they promote on Wooden at his peak worth as an asset – proper now. Wooden has two assured years at a team-friendly variety of $28 million remaining. To a contender, this can be a contract that’s straightforward to match and a constructive asset. That workforce would even be extra keen to pay Wooden a excessive quantity in 2023 if they’re actually on the rivalry stage. The Rockets could possibly be taking a look at a deal that nets them again a number of first spherical picks so as to add to their warfare chest.

The transfer would additionally open up enjoying time for the remainder of their crowded entrance courtroom.

Clearly, this isn’t a transfer that has to occur now, however Wooden’s commerce worth is at an apex proper now as a result of years remaining. The Rockets may nonetheless, nevertheless, discover offers on the upcoming commerce deadline and the offseason. If Wooden can replicate his manufacturing from the previous 12 months and a half, there’ll nonetheless be first spherical picks available in a deal for Houston.

The alternate options

It will be naive to recommend that the Rockets solely have one transfer on the desk because it pertains to Wooden. Houston may theoretically attain an extension settlement with Wooden that may safe his providers at a team-friendly worth. This retains Wooden on the workforce as a constructive asset and provides the Rockets some extra long-term flexibility with team-building. The one query can be Wooden’s motivation to signal an extension. If his camp believes there’s a max or near-max available in 2023, it could be fairly troublesome to get one thing accomplished.

One other different can be risking it and ready till Wooden’s free company. In the event that they play their hand proper and restrict the sorts of contracts they signal within the subsequent two summers, the Rockets are shaping as much as have a large quantity of cap room in 2023. When Eric Gordon and John Wall’s contract expire, Houston will solely owe $7.3 million to gamers for the 2023-24 season. There are two huge caveats:

1. If Kevin Porter Jr. has a breakout season, the Rockets will doubtless give him a major extension subsequent summer time. They’ll additionally must signal Okay.J. Martin and Jae’Sean Tate previous their rookie offers.
2. Houston should be shrewd in giving out offers with their mid-level exceptions the subsequent two seasons. Any important deal jeopardizes house.

The purpose being, even when Houston indicators these rookies previous their deal, there’s an avenue for 2 max cap slots.

If the Rockets get extraordinarily fortunate in 2023 and lands two star gamers, they may theoretically carry Wooden again with out cap house in the event that they time it correctly (through Hen rights). Clearly, this can be a pie-in-the-sky state of affairs and several other issues must go proper for Houston, nevertheless it needs to be talked about as a chance. Alternatively, the Rockets may nonetheless burn up all their cap room that summer time in another means and nonetheless carry Wooden again with Hen rights. If Houston doesn’t see themselves as important contenders, they’ll nonetheless must be weary of Wooden’s contract within the second state of affairs although. It’s simpler to signal Wooden to no matter quantity he desires when you understand max free brokers are coming behind him, however much less so when it’s a bunch of position gamers.

Regardless of the case, Houston has in all probability started having internal dialogue about Wooden’s future with the workforce already. As talked about earlier than, there isn’t a rush to deal Wooden instantly, however a prudent entrance workplace can be having conversations about him with different groups to not less than gauge his worth. In the event that they really feel the return isn’t value it, they may play discover the alternate options laid out. Both means, Wooden’s scenario will definitely be fascinating to look at over the subsequent calendar 12 months.