Should Houston Rockets have made a move at trade deadline?

Did the Rockets miss their chance in making a move at this year's trade deadline?

Feb 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

In one of the wildest NBA trade deadline’s in the history of the league, the Houston Rockets mostly stood pat.

Teams across the league scrambled to add or offload certain players, with stars like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins and plenty more being dealt cross-country. 

Houston, though, only made moves on the fringes of its roster. They first acquired Jaden Springer from Boston in swapping second round picks, subsequently waiving the youngster. Secondly, they added Hawks center Cody Zeller — who ins’t expected to massively contribute — as well as another future second. 

Suffice it to say, the Rockets bowed out of making the star trade most thought they would. Despite its plethora of young talent, which remains one of the largest cores in the league.

Now, after a hot start to the season that saw the team rank as No. 2 in the Western Conference for a number of weeks, it’s hit a skid. Across its last five games, they’re winless, losing to Brooklyn twice, Memphis by just one point, as well as not-so-close losses to Minnesota and New York.

With the losing-streak, some are wondering if the Rockets should’ve capitalized on its flexibility and consolidated further with a trade at the deadline.

Firstly, the team likely did its due diligence on stars. Especially in the case of Kevin Durant, who is reportedly acquired the Suns’ selections just to make a Durant deal that much easier. The franchise was likely either met with deals it didn’t prefer, or decided agains them altogether.

Secondly, Houston is very much still a developing team, and while the team seems to have accelerated its rebuild some, that doesn’t mean that it’s incapable of slow stretches, or that it won’t continue to develop as a whole. 

Bench star Tari Eason is just 23. Sengun is still just 22, exceptionally young for an All-Star. Jalen Green and Amen Thompson are the same, and players like Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard are even a few years behind.

The Rockets will continue to mesh and develop for years to come, and it’s worth seeing out in the next few seasons. And star trades will always be a few phone calls away should the organization want to pivot down the road.

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