NBA Rumors: Five Players On Trade Block For The Houston Rockets

 

It's been a bizarre roller-coaster ride of a season for the Houston Rockets. A 15-game losing streak followed by a 7-game winning streak was already a first in North American sports history. Shortly thereafter another 7-game losing streak took hold. 

With a team at the depths of a rebuild, based around extremely young and volatile players, combined with other players on the roster who are much older, the Rockets need to find a proper balance. 

As we are just four weeks away from the trade deadline, no team has more "players to watch", according to ESPN's NBA front office insider Bobby Marks. No less than 5 roster pieces could be dealt by Feb. 10th. 

Christian Wood: Although he's on a team-friendly contract, and is clearly their best player, there are some red flags that could lead to a trade: At 26, he's several years older than the young core the team is trying to build, and he was recently suspended by the team for refusing to enter a game after an explosive halftime locker room blowout. He definitely has the most trade value and would bring back a nice haul. 

Kevin Porter Jr.: The 21-year-old point guard was also suspended after he walked out on the team during the same halftime incident, and has shown some unstable tendencies both in Houston and his previous stop in Cleveland. Marks says "the Rockets need to answer is if Porter is part of the team's future."

Eric Gordon: One of the elder statesmen on the team, Gordon is a career 16 point per game scorer, and is shooting 43% from long-range this season (career 37.5%). The 33-year-old would be a nice fit on many contending teams, such as Cleveland, as suggested by Marks. 

DJ Augustin: Another older veteran, at 34, he could play a bit part as a backup point guard for teams looking for such a piece, and might be able to bring back a draft pick that could help the rebuilding Rockets in the future. 

John Wall: Ah yes, the elephant in the Rockets room. The $44M man has been sitting out the season while waiting for a trade that might never come. He and the team agreed at the beginning of the season that he'll sit out until they could find him a new home, preferably with a contender. More recently, he caused a kerfuffle by demanding to return to the lineup, as a starter. The Rockets are committed to the youth movement, and had no interest in that. 

With so many combustible parts, Houston is definitely a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches. 

Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports