A series of moves dating back to the Houston Rockets’ trade for Kevin Durant before the draft ultimately became the first seven-team trade in NBA history, a massive, complex transaction that occurred when the league’s annual moratorium on business officially concluded on Sunday.

The seven-team trade involved the Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. Six players were involved in the trade, including Durant, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Clint Capela, David Roddy and Daeqwon Plowden. The Rockets traded their No. 10 overall pick to the Suns, who used it to draft center Khaman Maluach. The Rockets traded 12 second-round picks in the historic deal while also making a second-round pick swap with the Hawks and sending them cash considerations.

The main component of the deal is the trade that saw Durant go from Phoenix to Houston on June 22. The future Hall of Famer landed with last season’s second overall seed in the Western Conference in exchange for Green, Brooks, the 10th pick and five second-round picks.

The Durant deal wasn’t eligible to be completed until Sunday, when the moratorium ended and deals were allowed to be consummated in the NBA’s 2025-26 league year, due to satisfying salary cap requirements. That allowed the Suns to acquire those second-round picks from the Rockets and maneuver in the draft, making a series of trades that ultimately spread them to a variety of teams.

Eventually, the Suns wound up with the first pick of the second round (31st overall), which they used to select Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming, as well as the 41st pick, which they used to take guard Koby Brea. Several other players wound up being drafted from picks involved in this deal last month, including the Lakers’ Adou Thiero (36th pick), the Timberwolves’ Rocco Zikarsky (45th) and the Warriors’ Alex Toohey (52nd).

The span between the time the deal was agreed upon and the time it was made official allowed the Rockets to add to it by bringing back Capela. The 31-year-old center was drafted by the Rockets in 2014 and spent his first six seasons there before playing his past five with the Hawks. The move provides the Rockets with additional center depth behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.

The Houston Rockets have acquired superstar Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns.

The Rockets sent the Suns Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the number 10 pick in the NBA Draft and five second-round picks in exchange for Durant.

Over the last few weeks, reports of a Durant trade were rampant, with questions about who his next team would be. Now, Durant is playing in Houston.

The Durant sweepstakes boiled down to the Rockets and the Miami Heat, but the Heat’s unwillingness to include their young players ultimately rendered any trade package ineffective.

Durant, 36, is coming off a season where he averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Despite the Suns’ lackluster 36-46 record, Durant had a productive season.

The Suns will likely look to rebuild around Devin Booker after trading Durant. They are looking for a potential trade for Bradley Beal.

The Rockets, who finished as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, were rumored to be in the hunt for a superstar following their first-round series loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Durant could be the firepower Houston needs to get over the hump.

The Rockets, who were reportedly on Durant’s list of preferred destinations, will be his fifth team.

The Rockets have the fourth-best betting odds to be the 2025-2026 NBA Champion at +850. They are also the second-highest odds in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Playoff basketball for the Houston Rockets has one message: Win by any means possible.

The Houston Rockets dominated the Golden State Warriors in game five, winning 131-116. In the first quarter, Stephen Curry injured his thumb while shooting a jumper after Dillon Brooks made contact with his hand.

After Curry’s injury, Brooks admitted to targeting his hand for the rest of the game.

“If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time,” Brooks said. “So whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”

The Warriors star played the rest of the game after the first quarter with a wrap around his thumb. Curry was held to 13 points on 4-12 shooting.

Game five, and the series as a whole, has been emotional. The Warriors’ Pat Spencer was ejected late in the game for headbutting Alperen Sengun.

In most of the games in the series, there has been some sort of incident or scuffle.

The Rockets finished with three players who scored 24+ points. Brooks, Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson all reached the mark with at least 50% from the field. As a team, the Rockets shot 55.1% from the field.

The Warriors’ leading scorer was Moses Moody, who finished with 25 points. Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for just 21 points. Butler finished with only two made field goals.

Game six is on Friday in Oakland. With a win, the Warriors advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler took a hard fall late in the first quarter of the Warriors’ playoff game against the Houston Rockets.

Warriors’ forward Draymond Green, while boxing out Rockets guard Amen Thompson, appeared to give Thompson a slight shove, sending him forward and undercutting Butler while he was midair.

Butler suffered a pelvis contusion and is scheduled to undergo an MRI in San Francisco on Thursday.

“Jimmy always says he’s going to be fine,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “But we have to wait to see with the MRI.”

The Warriors went down early in the game and were never able to recover, eventually losing 109-94. Butler finished with three points in eight minutes before leaving the game with an injury.

If Butler has to miss time, it would be a devastating blow to the Warriors. Since acquiring Butler, the team is 25-8, including the playoffs.

It’s possible that Jonathan Kuminga could take Butler’s starting spot if he has to miss time. Kuminga had fallen out of the rotation in recent games.

“Hopefully Jimmy will be able to play,” Kerr said. “But if not, then we’ve got to go through our options and put together a plan.”

The series was expected to be one of the most physical of the entire playoffs. Both teams have aggressive and high-level defenses.

Green downplayed the level of physicality in game two with a simple statement.

“I thought it was more physical in game one,” Green said.

Superstar Kevin Durant’s time as a Phoenix Sun is almost certainly done. Analysts would be shocked if he returns to Phoenix.

Among the teams that have an interest in a trade for Durant, the Houston Rockets have emerged as a team with a lot of noise around them.

The Rockets, on paper, seem like a perfect destination for Durant. There’s a mix of young, talented players and veterans who act as leaders.

In February, Durant was at the center of a failed trade to the Warriors.

Houston GM Rafael Stone was clear when asked about the possibility of Durant in Houston.

“I like where we’re at,” Stone said. “We want this group to be as good as it can be this year, and then we’ll evaluate things at the end of the year.”

Despite the Phoenix Suns finishing the season 36-46, the worst record for a Durant-led team since the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009, Durant played like his usual self. Durant finished the season with an average of 26.6 points per game on 52.7% shooting.

Durant, who turns 37 before next season, will make $54.7 million next year. The team that acquires Durant will need to have the capital to trade for him and the money to pay.

Other teams with rumored interest are the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.

The Rockets’ postseason success could affect a potential move for Durant. If Houston loses to the Golden State Warriors in the first round, Stone and the Rockets might be inclined to take a swing at Durant.

If Houston goes on a postseason run, the team could decide to run it back.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was furious Wednesday night after a loose ball foul cost his team in a 91-90 defeat to the Houston Rockets. The Warriors could have advanced to the NBA Cup Semifinal with a victory.

“I’m pissed off,” Kerr said told reporters after the game. “I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup, and we aren’t going because of a loose ball foul, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and that was ridiculous.”

The play occurred at the very end of the fourth quarter, as two separate scrambles for possession eventually culminated in heavy contact between Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga and Rockets guard Jalen Green. Referees called a foul on Kuminga, who was reaching to try and force a jump ball. Green hit both free throws to put his team in front with 3.5 seconds remaining.

Losing a regular season matchup in such fashion likely would have been frustrating enough for Kerr, but implications tied to the NBA Cup apparently compounded those feelings. The league’s second annual in-season tournament features lucrative incentives, including more than $500,000 each to players on the team that wins the tournament final. Instead, Golden State players have to settle for roughly $50,000 each for losing their quarterfinal game.

Warriors star Steph Curry, the centerpiece of a rebuilding team, was more critical of himself than the officiating crew after the game. He pointed out he had several opportunities to put the game out of reach and failed to do so. 

“It’s a team trying to figure out who you are,” Curry said, per Sports Illustrated. “What works, what sets we need to be in. Teams selling out on our standard pick-and-roll, which I usually can make plays … If I make that last shot, you might not ask me about the last two possessions. That’s kind of the way the game goes.”

Through 22 games, Golden State is fourth in the Western Conference with a 14-10 record, but the team is merely the leader of a very tight pack that extends all the way to the 12-13 Kings in 12th place. The Rockets, a younger team on the rise, are second in the conference with a 17-8 record, and will face the similarly youthful Thunder in the NBA Cup Semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka was ejected on Tuesday in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Kings.

Down 105-117 with under two minutes remaining, Udoka was assessed a technical foul for protesting what he felt was a string of missed calls against the Rockets’ Alperen Sengun and Domantas Sabonis. After getting in referee John Goble‘s face, he was assessed another technical and ejected.

The NBA announced fines Thursday for Udoka, Sengun, and Tari Eason for their comments and behavior both on the court and after the game.

The league said in a statement, “Udoka has been fined $50,000 for confronting and directing profane language toward a game official, failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected and public criticism of the officiating during his postgame press conference.”

Sengun, who was ejected for complaining to officials and for his role in the brief skirmish following the play, was also fined $15,000 for “directing inappropriate language in the direction of a fan in the spectator stands after the game had concluded.”

Although forward Tari Eason wasn’t ejected, he was fined $35,000 for an incident that took place after the game. As he left the court, a fan reportedly heckled him, provoking him to throw his towel, “yelled obscenities,” and attempt to enter the stands. He was eventually restrained by two security guards near the fan section and returned to the locker room.

“Missed calls, blatant missed calls right in front of you,” Udoka told reporters postgame.

“You’re calling ticky-tack moving screens, little s— like that, but you don’t want to call the obvious ones right in front of you. That was it. Alpie got fouled a few times on that drive and on the layup and they don’t want to call it. So I told him: ‘Get some f—ing glasses and open your eyes.'”

The Rockets moved to 15-7 on the season, sitting in the Western Conference second seed, and will head to the NBA Cup quarterfinals on December 11 against the Warriors.

The Houston Rockets have fallen just short of the postseason.

On Sunday night, the Rockets led the Dallas Mavericks by 22 points on the road. However, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led a furious comeback to give the Mavericks a 147-136 overtime victory.

The loss was costly for Houston, as it officially eliminated them from postseason contention. They currently sit at 38-40, 11th in the Western Conference. The season’s final home game was on Tuesday against the Orlando Magic, which the Rockets won 118-106.

Despite the Rockets’ failure to qualify for the postseason, several positive developments occurred throughout the season. The team has a fantastic young duo in center Jabari Smith Jr. and power forward Alperen Sengun. They both average 21.1 and 13.8 points per game, respectively. Sengun also led Houston in rebounds per game, averaging 9.3.

Point guard Fred Van Fleet also succeeded offensively for the team, averaging 16.8 points per game and being a veteran in further developing Smith Jr. and Sengun. Rookie forward Amen Thompson also showed promise throughout the season, including two games in March, where he finished with a season-high 25 points.

Houston was 25-34 after losing to the Phoenix Suns 110-105 on Feb. 29. Their fortunes turned once the calendar flipped to March – they won 13 of 15 in that month to surge back into the playoff race. Some of those wins were against the top teams in the league, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ultimately, the Houston Rockets’ hopes of making the postseason and accelerating their rebuild ended with their blown lead against the Mavericks on Sunday. The good news is that the team has the youth and veteran presence to challenge in the Western Conference for years to come.

P.J. Tucker is setting records this NBA season – but not ones that have to do with on-court success.

The Los Angeles Clippers forward was fined $75,000 by the NBA for making public trade demands, per a statement released by the league.

It’s the largest fine an NBA player has had to pay since August when a similar scenario played out with superstar guard James Harden. He was also penalized for making public trade demands.

In a conversation with Andscape’s Marc Spears, Tucker explained his desire to have an impactful role on a team other than the Clippers.

“I want to be somewhere where I’m needed, wanted and can do it all,” he said. “I’m hoping to go somewhere else whether I get bought out and choose where I go or where I can play.”

This conversation sparked the NBA’s interest and fined Tucker for his public remarks on trade speculation.

Tucker voicing his frustrations, mirroring Harden’s prior dissatisfaction, highlights how players are more open than ever to voice their displeasure with an organization, despite the risk of fines. With player empowerment being a theme across the NBA for several years now, it seems that players are using their platform to maximize their power in landing the best deals and trades for themselves.

During the Houston Rockets’ 107-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach Ime Udoka was ejected following a sideline spat with LeBron James. 

Udoka and James argued right in front of an official, which in turn led to technicals against the coach and player, respectively, with Udoka himself ejected from the game. 

Both Udoka and James refuse to say what they said to each other. 

“We had some conversation and [the refs] didn’t like what they heard,” Udoka said. 

James joked that the spat was a friendly conversation about the holidays, claiming the two were discussing “how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving.” 

Videos posted online showed Udoka using the word “b—” toward James. 

The Lakers ended up dominating the game, winning by ten points and keeping the Rockets winless on the road. 

The Houston Rockets are exploring trade options for shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was charged with felony assault and strangulation charges earlier this week. Porter is being accused of attacking his girlfriend in a New York City hotel Monday, fracturing a vertebra in her neck and cutting her face above the right eye.

Porter was released from police custody on Tuesday on $75,000 bond and will have to return to court in New York on Oct. 16. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that the league had opened an investigation into Porter’s actions in order to determine if he can play through court proceedings.

“The allegations here are horrific, no question about it,” Silver said. “But I don’t know anything more about the actual facts, other than reading those allegations. We’re not in season. … We have a bit of time to decide whether it would be appropriate for him to go to training camp or not.”

According to The Athletic, the Rockets have contacted several teams for a trade involving Porter, offering draft compensation in return. Houston has prepared for a very competitive 2023-24 season and seems to be trading Porter away for a player who can contribute immediately. Porter is not expected to join the team in training camp in October.

It could be extremely difficult for the Rockets to trade away Porter because of the issues facing him beyond the basketball court. The guard was very effective last season, scoring 19.2 points per game, but it will be difficult to convince a team to take a player facing felony charges.

Porter signed a contract extension with the Rockets last October and is scheduled to receive $15.86 million for the next four years. A suspension or ban from competition, as well as prison time if he is convicted, would likely nullify most of the money Houston or any other NBA team would have to pay him as part of this deal.

Recent reports suggest that Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden will opt out of his contract with the team to test free agency this offseason. Harden signed a two-year deal with the team in 2021 and would have received $35.6 million in a third-year option.

Following a 2021-22 season in which the 76ers lost to the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals, Harden took a $15 million pay cut in order to make space for the team to build around him and MVP Joel Embiid. The team lost again in the conference semifinals this season, however. Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that Harden now wants the security of multiple years for another competitive team.

“The Houston Rockets have long been a rumored destination, but sources say Harden will only entertain suitors that present a competitive roster and the basketball freedom for the star to be himself,” Haynes reported.

Harden’s stint in Philadelphia was promising at times, as he and Embiid did produce together to maintain the team’s status as a title contender. The Sixers also improved to an extent this year and took the highly touted Boston Celtics to seven games in the postseason. Supporting players did not contribute consistently around the pair, however, and the experiment will now end prematurely.

“I can’t win alone,” Embiid said after the Sixers’ Game 7 loss. “Me and James [Harden], we just can’t win alone. That’s why basketball is played 5-on-5.”

Harden, now 33, will enter his 17th season in the NBA later this year. The 2018 MVP can no longer produce as he once did but could still be an incredibly valuable addition to a number of teams. If he signs with the Rockets, he would rejoin the team that he has spent most of his career with, often as the lone star falling short of championship glory. The team would likely build around Harden with younger talent to escape the doldrums of the Western Conference.

The Rockets were in Washington playing the Wizards on Wednesday evening, a game during which Kevin Porter Jr.—fresh off his one-game suspension—hit a buzzer-beater to give Houston a 114-111 win.

The clip of the shot can be seen below:

Porter, along with teammate Christian Wood, was disciplined for poor behavior during Saturday’s loss to Denver.

Afterwards, Porter called game:

The Rockets, currently the cellar-dwellers of the Western Conference at 11-28, are currently rebuilding with young players.

The Wizards dropped to 19-19 on the season and hold the ninth of 10 playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Houston Rockets‘ Jalen Green shined in his NBA Summer League debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Green spent last season playing for the Ignite in the G League and declared for the 2021 NBA Draft. Green was drafted by the Rockets with the second pick. Using his experience from the G League, he was able to make an impressive Summer League debut. Green scored 23 points, five rebounds and two assists in their 84-76 win over Cleveland. Green shot 9 of 18 from the field. The guards’ 23 points led all the starters.

“The ultimate goal for the G League Ignite was to be a pro and learn the game as much as we can before we head up to the NBA,” Green said after the game. “I think we accomplished that. We learned how to be a pro on and off the court. I think I showed it tonight.”

Green sure accomplished that with his scoring in the first game of the Summer League. Fellow teammate Alperen Sengun also shined in the game. Sengun recorded a double-double in the game. Sengun was the 16th pick of the draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder and traded to Houston. The Turkish player scored 15 points and brought down 15 rebounds in 27 minutes played. He also had four blocks in the game.

The Rockets were without guard Armoni Brooks, who was out due to COVID-19 protocols.

In a blockbuster trade, the Los Angeles Lakers have acquired All-Star Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Lakers received Westbrook in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Wizards also sent 2024 and 2028 second-round picks to the Lakers to complete the deal.

The Wizards used the first-round pick they received in the Westbrook trade to acquire point guard Aaron Holiday from the Indiana Pacers.

The Lakers were originally discussing a potential trade with the Sacramento Kings for shooting guard Buddy Hield but negotiations fell apart. However, Lakers fans are most likely happier with the deal that the team eventually completed.

“Thank you, DC! You welcomed my family and I with open arms from day one,” Westbrook wrote on Twitter. “Everyone from the front office to the training staff, the coaches, my teammates, and the fans. I’m grateful y’all took a chance on me and supported me every step of the way.”

The trade gives Los Angeles a big three in LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook. Last season, the Lakers failed to defend their title after suffering a first-round exit against the Suns. It was a disappointing year for the Lakers as injuries sidelined James and Davis during different stretches of the regular season.

Last season, Westbrook was traded to the Wizards from the Houston Rockets. In his only season in Washington, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists, although he shot just 43.9% from the floor and 31.5% from downtown.

The arrival of Westbrook gives the Lakers a playmaker after Dennis Schroder left the team. Schroder was offered the maximum extension the Lakers were eligible to offer him, but he turned it down in favor of free agency. This deal also provides Los Angeles with another star in the event of another injury to James or Davis. Time will tell how much chemistry this big three will have on the basketball court. The Lakers should be considered one of the favorites to win the championship next season.

The Detroit Pistons earned the first pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, and Ben Wallace was there to represent the franchise. Wallace was recently announced as an inductee to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is a Pistons legend that helped the team win the 2004 NBA Finals.

The first pick will ensure the Pistons will add another top-level talent to their young team. Just last year, the Pistons took three players in the first round of the draft. It will also be the Pistons’ first top-five selection since 2003 when they took Darko Milicic second overall. It will be Detroit’s first top overall pick since they drafted Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier in 1970.

“Obviously we get to add another wing player to the restoration process,” Detroit’s general manager Troy Weaver said. “We’re excited to be in this position. But it means that we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re going to be diligent about it. But it always helps to be able to add the No. 1 pick.”

Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham is expected by many to be the first pick of the draft.

The top three picks of the draft are the Pistons, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Rockets have entered a rebuilding process after trading away star James Harden to the Nets.

Cleveland has picked fifth each of the past two seasons, but this time they got lucky with the third pick. The Cavaliers are looking to make the playoffs next season with their young core of guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, forward Isaac Okoro and center Jarrett Allen.

The rest of the order is as follows:

• 4. Toronto Raptors
• 5. Orlando Magic
• 6. Oklahoma City Thunder
• 7. Golden State Warriors
• 8. Orlando Magic
• 9. Sacramento Kings
• 10. New Orleans Pelicans
• 11. Charlotte Hornets
• 12. San Antonio Spurs
• 13. Indiana Pacers
• 14. Golden State Warriors

Both the Warriors and Magic have two picks in the lottery.

On, Thursday the NBA announced the 2020-21 NBA All-Rookie Team.

To no one’s surprise, Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was unanimously selected to the First Team, as was Rookie of the Year runner-up Anthony Edwards. Tyrese Haliburton joined the two after receiving 98 of 99 First Team votes. Pistons forward Saddiq Bey and Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate were also voted to the First Team.

Ball, of the Charlotte Hornets, was recently announced as the Rookie Of The Year after averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in 51 games this season. The Hornets guard led all rookies in assists per game (6.1), steals (1.59) and rebounding (5.9). He was second in scoring (15.7).

Edwards led all rookies in scoring with 19.3 points per game. He also chipped in 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. However, Edwards ramped up his production following the All-Star break. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 36 games after the All-Star break. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in each of the final three months of the season.

Haliburton averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Haliburton is the eighth player in the history of the Sacramento Kings’ franchise to make the All-Rookie First Team

Bey averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He was an impressive rookie for the Detroit Pistons. Bey was on pace to break the record for most threes made by a rookie, but the shortened season denied him the record. The Pistons’ rookie finished with 175 made triples.

Tate averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Houston Rockets this season. Tate was one of 10 players to average at least 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game after the All-Star break.

The Second Team is comprised of Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, Cavaliers guard-forward Isaac Okoro, Pistons center Isaiah Stewart and Bulls forward Patrick Williams.

The Houston Rockets have had a very unremarkable season, with a paltry 16 wins compared to 47 losses. They lost star big man Christian Wood for a part of the season, they parted ways with Demarcus Cousins and John Wall is now out for the remainder of the season. It’s reasonable to assume when James Harden was traded earlier this season from the Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, one assumed that there wouldn’t be a lefty combo guard dropping a 50-point double-double in the Toyota Center for a really long time. Boy, was everyone wrong.

Kevin Porter Jr, traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers for just a second-round pick, scored 51 points and added 11 assists in the Rockets’ 143-136 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Porter Jr. became the youngest player of all time with a 50-point, 10-assist game, surpassing LeBron James, who did it at age 23. Porter Jr. was also the fourth-youngest player of all time to score 50 points, behind elite scorers James, Devin Booker and Brandon Jennings. This was a truly remarkable game for a player who was fined over 50 grand just a day ago, for entering a strip club.

Porter Jr is clearly a very talented player. In just his second season in the NBA and first with the Rockets, he averaged 15.2 points per game, as well as 6.2 assists per game on 41% from the field. His issue lies off the court. Going back to his college days, he’s frequently been suspended or fined for disorderly conduct and poor actions. If Porter Jr. can get his head on straight, he could be the start of a great young nucleus going forward. With an assuredly high draft pick this upcoming draft due to poor play this year, star center and most improved candidate Wood and Porter Jr. could lead the Rockets to being a contender again in just a few seasons. They own the majority of Brooklyn’s draft capital as well. The future appears to be very bright in Houston.

The Miami Heat have made one of the biggest trades before the NBA trade deadline, acquiring star guard Victor Oladipo.

On Thursday, just minutes before the trade deadline, the Houston Rockets agreed to a deal that sent Oladipo to South Beach. The Rockets traded Oladipo to Miami in exchange for Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and 2022 first-round pick swap rights. The trade deadline was on Thursday at 3 p.m., and the Oladipo trade talks continued up until the deadline hour.

The Rockets acquired Oladipo from the four-team trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. Because Oladipo is currently in his final contract season, the team had to offer a contract extension if they wanted him to return. Houston was interested in retaining the All-Star guard with the hopes of him becoming the team’s new franchise player, but it was not a mutual feeling. The guard declined the team’s offer of a two-year deal worth $45 million. As a result, Houston turned towards shopping the 28-year-old in order to at least get assets or players in return rather than losing him for nothing to free agency.

The trade brings Oladipo to a team that he wanted to join. The addition of the 28-year-old strengthens the Heats’ chances at making another deep playoff run. So far this season, the guard has averaged 20.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Miami now adds a very talented guard to their deep backcourt rotation that includes Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Goran Dragic.

Meanwhile, the Rockets get a solid stretch forward in Olynyk, who is averaging 10.0 and 6.1 rebounds this season. The forward will become a free agent after this season. Bradley has not played much this season due to COVID-19 and a calf injury. He is averaging just 8.5 points per game.

This trade indicates that Houston has gone into full-blown rebuild mode while the Heat are viewing this season as championship or bust. It will be interesting to see if the acquisition of Oladopo will push Miami past Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference.