We suggest one trade the LA Clippers could make with the Houston Rockets.
Our quest to find one trade for the LA Clippers to make with every NBA team moves to the Southwest Division this week where we kick things off with the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference with a record of 40-24. They are tied in the standings with fifth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and one game behind the fourth-seeded Utah Jazz.
Houston is lead by reunited star combo James Harden and Russell Westbrook and a high octane offensive attack, ranked second in the NBA racking up 118.1 points per game. Many of those points come from beyond the arc as the team leads the league in both three-pointers attempted (44.3) and made (15.4) per game. Their .488 three-point attempt rate also sets the pace for the NBA.
While the Rockets’ roster seems a little light when it comes to big men, suggesting a trade for one wouldn’t really fit their style of play. They are content to let P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington bang inside as part of their super small-ball line-up. Covington is a player we’d love to work a hypothetical trade for, but we don’t really see a way to make something work realistically.
So, once again we look for a novelty reason in a trade partner and there is no better novelty reason than family.
Why we suggest this trade for the LA Clippers:
This is another trade we don’t absolutely love. Shamet is younger than Rivers and has a higher ceiling, and in all honesty, we wouldn’t actually make this trade for real for any basketball reasons.
But since we’re looking for a reason to make one trade with every team, we’d like to bring Rivers back to the Clippers and reunite him with his father for a chance at a title run together. This is a feel-good story.
Would the Rockets do it?
They should. They’d be getting the better end of the deal. Shamet could step in and fill the role Rivers plays with the Rockets right away. In addition to being younger and having a higher ceiling than Rivers, Shamet is also under contract longer. It’s really a no-lose trade for the Rockets.
In the real world, this isn’t happening. But this weekend is Father’s Day and in honor of that, we’re fake-reuniting Doc and Austin with our suggested trade.
Read the rest of our “One Trade with every Team” series here:
Pacific Division: Lakers, Warriors, Kings, Suns
Northwest Division: Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder, Blazers, Timberwolves
Southwest Division: Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Spurs
Atlantic Division: Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, Nets, Knicks
Central Division: Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Pistons, Cavaliers
Southeast Division: Heat, Magic, Wizards, Hornets, Hawks