It's no secret the Houston Rockets are looking to add a veteran wing. Now, what they're offering in trade talks around the league is starting to come to light.
According to a report by Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic, the Rockets have been shopping Brandon Knight and a first-round draft pick. The only problem is that there has been zero interest in the trade offer.
The Rockets have been looking to add another wing to the roster. Ideally, another veteran to help stabilize the rotation and provide consistent 3-point shooting and perimeter defense. They have made calls, offering Knight and a first-round pick. There have been no takers. Houston is looking to include itself and participate in multi-team deals, with an attempt to exchange assets to facilitate the addition of a veteran wing, league sources told The Athletic. Shams Charania reported last week that Houston is targeting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's well-known that the Rockets are desperate to improve their current situation. While they have played slightly better as of late -- they've won five straight games -- they are still just 16-14 and clearly weaker than last season. As things are currently constructed, the Rockets are probably good enough to make it into the playoffs, but this is a team that won 65 games and was within one game of the 2018 NBA Finals. In other words, they're not playing for a first-round exit -- they're playing for a championship.
The problem is, that aforementioned trade package is weak. Knight just recently made his season debut and scored his first points of the season less than a week ago after tearing his ACL in March 2017. Although he's a proven scorer, it has been nearly two years since he has had an impact on an NBA team. Squads are not going to be lining up to trade their 3-and-D swingmen to acquire a guy coming off of an ACL injury.
Knight even admitted as much after scoring his first points of the season versus the Utah Jazz last week, via Glynn A. Hill of the Houston Chronicle.
"It's got a ways to go. I haven't played in two years, so [I'm] just trying to get that rhythm after sitting down for so long," he said. "The guys have locked in and everybody's stepping their game up, not just physically but mentally."
As mentioned by Bijani, the Rockets have shown interest in Los Angeles Lakers swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They've also been previously linked to Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith. The bottom line is, the Rockets are well aware of their flaws, especially when it comes to their lack of 3-and-D players. The departures of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute have had a profound impact on the 2018-19 Rockets, as they rank 20th in points per game, 26th in defensive rating and second-to-last in pace this season.
During their 2017-18 campaign, Houston ranked second in points per game, sixth in defensive rating and 13th in pace.
The Rockets also have made Carmelo Anthony available via trade, but there has been no reported interest in the 10-time All-Star.
Houston might be trying to improve its current situation via trade, but there is likely no quick fix for a season that is starting to look very bleak.
The Rockets will look to right the ship on their season when they seek their sixth straight win against the Miami Heat on Thursday (8 p.m. ET -- Watch FuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension).