Houston Rockets rumors: Want to trade for Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love
By Bryan Rose
The Houston Rockets spent the early portion of their offseason attempting to lure a superstar to Space City. From LeBron James to Carmelo Anthony to Chris Bosh, all three were serious targets but left at the alter, the Rockets came away empty handed.
More from Houston Rockets
- NBA rumors: Hawks trade candidate, Sixers miss out, Lakers almost lose Reaves
- NBA insider explains real reason the Grizzlies were done with Dillon Brooks
- Rockets projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
- 3 potential James Harden suitors not named the Clippers
- Cam Whitmore already starting revenge tour after draft-night fall
That doesn’t mean they’re going to hang their heads though as they’ve already reportedly turned the corner and are looking at new targets. So who exactly are the Houston Rockets looking to team with Dwight Howard and James Harden? Well, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein both Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves are likely targets.
Both Rondo and Love have been linked to the Rockets before and their interest in both players is well known. However, it’s questionable if they’ll have the needed pieces to make a deal.
One such player who could have been a significant trade chip, Chandler Parsons, is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks after the Rockets decided not to match the offer sheet presented to him. Given that, the Rockets would need to get creative in attempt to lure either Boston or Minnesota into trade talks.
So look for Rockets to re-enter trade game for longtime Houston target Rajon Rondo as well as try to work their way into mix for Kevin Love
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 14, 2014
That’s not to say the Houston Rockets are completely void of any assets as they do have young talent like Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas and Patrick Beverley remaining on their roster, but they’d certainly need to gut their bench if they were to acquire either Rondo or Love.
General manager Daryl Morey has been adamant about adding an additional star to his lineup, so it should be interesting to see if he’s more successful in his trade endeavors than in free agency.