At 24-12, the Houston Rockets seem to have arrived as a team to beat in the Western Conference. Last year, they were narrowly beaten out by the Golden State Warriors for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. Now in second place, they have easily surpassed the Warriors, who occupy the tenth seed but are in danger of slipping out of the playoff picture entirely.
If for the second season in a row, the Warriors miss the playoffs, their only option in the offseason would be to make a massive move. If they can’t trade for an established star to get the most out of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as they near the end, the Warriors might have to bite the bullet and trade Curry for as much as humanly possible.
Only a few teams in the NBA have the assets and matching salaries to make a blockbuster deal even somewhat realistic, but the Rockets could make a splash.
Houston, this season, has been linked to Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. At the end of this season, Fred VanVleet has a $44.8 million team option, but Curry would be a clear upgrade.
Jalen Green is best off-ball, and Reed Sheppard was sent to the G League over the weekend, so the Rockets might be looking for a superstar guard to pair with Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason.
The Rockets can match Curry’s $59.6 million salary next season by trading VanVleet and Green to the Warriors. On top of that, the Rockets have nine first-round picks to trade or swap, which could help sweeten the pot. Green could be replaced with Steven Adams if the Warriors want more draft capital or with Sheppard if they decide they want to start a rebuild quicker.
Adding Curry would hurt the Rockets’ third-ranked defense, but his offensive dominance would be a massive upgrade for their 12th-ranked offense, likely propelling Houston into the top ten in both categories.
If the Warriors decide to do right by Curry and send him to a contender in the final years of his career, no team can offer more for Curry while making the most of the all-time great.
More NBA: Warriors 'owe it' to Stephen Curry to add secondary star amid rising NBA trade rumors