Rockets, NBA trade season preview with Karthik Prasad

Karthik Prasad (@StanfordKP) joins Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves for a roundtable chat regarding NBA trade season, which unofficially begins each December 15—the annual date at which most players who signed new contracts in the previous offseason can be dealt.

From a Rockets perspective, this means that players who signed deals in 2023 free agency (including Jock Landale’s tradable contract) can now officially be moved. Victor Oladipo, who was acquired for salary reasons in the trade offloading Kevin Porter Jr. in October, can also be traded in packages since the 60-day aggregation waiting period has expired.

With that in mind, what are the possibilities for GM Rafael Stone, and how aggressive should the Rockets be at the start of “phase two” of their rebuild? Karthik, Ben, and Paulo explore the various scenarios, including the potential to acquire a bigger name such as Donovan Mitchell and Dejounte Murray; whether Jalen Green is still the optimal long-term fit at shooting guard; and smaller trade scenarios that could boost this season’s team, like a deal for Atlanta big man Clint Capela.