NBA Trade Deadline: 5 teams now relying on free agency

Houston Rockets

With the way their season has been going, from the lackluster defense to the isolation heavy offense behind James Harden, the Rockets can’t keep going the way they are to return to the Western Conference Finals. Besides the fact that teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors dominate the top of the conference, the Rockets aren’t nearly good enough.

There’s also the matter of chemistry. Again, it’s an area where the Rockets seriously fall short as their clashing stars and lack of cohesion sets them back even further from the true contenders. Besides the failed experiment of Ty Lawson that wasn’t fixed at the deadline either, Houston still have the duo of the incredibly ball-dominant Harden and the discontent, wanting-a-max-contract Howard together.

For quite some time now, the two stars have had their issues, and Fran Blinebury of NBA.com has even reported that the two have expressed a desire for the other to be traded in the past:

"Howard and Harden have been an oil-and-water mix since they came together for the 2012-13 season. It was only days after Damian Lillard’s 3-point dagger eliminated them in the first round of their first playoff series together when both were sending out messages and maneuvering to get the other one traded."

If that’s ever the case or even partly what’s been happening in Houston, it’s not remotely surprising they tried so hard to move on from Howard at the deadline. And they can’t be faulted for this, as there’s no denying that the Rockets spoke with a wide range of teams about possible deals. Plus, with such a high chance that 30-year-old Howard will use his player option for 2016-17 to hit free agency and search for a max contract (that he doesn’t truly deserve anymore, but he’ll pursue one anyway), it would be hard to get much in return for a rental player.

That’s what the Rockets pushed for, though. As ESPN’s Marc Stein reported, they talked to plenty of teams but no one made the offer they wanted of a frontline player and a first-round pick:

"Sources said that the Rockets talked about potential Howard deals in recent days with a list of teams including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and, most recently, Milwaukee. Sources say Houston, however, told several teams that it wasn’t prepared to trade Howard without receiving at least one frontline player and a future first-round draft pick in return."

Besides failing to move Howard despite so much effort, the Rockets completed a three-team trade to send Marcus Thornton and Donatas Motiejunas to the Pistons. In return, they received a 2016 first-round pick from the Pistons (protected 1-8) and the draft rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum from the Philadelphia 76ers, who is doubtful to ever play in the NBA after being drafted in 2011.

The draft rights are useless and while the pick is a great acquisition for the team’s future, it still isn’t getting them back to the Conference Finals any time soon. That being said, seeing as Motiejunas and Thorton were on expiring contracts, landing a first-rounder in return is a wise move.

Yet, with Howard surely leaving for no return and so many problems with the team, the Rockets have a lot to deal with in free agency.

Given Harden’s ball dominant nature and the Rockets hovering at the bottom of the West playoff picture, they aren’t exactly the most attractive team to join as they hope to replace Dwight with a new star.

Next: Miami Heat