Rockets Trade Rumors: 3 things to expect before the trade deadline

Last season, the Houston Rockets came within one game of the NBA Finals, and the team managed to keep both Chris Paul and Clint Capela during the 2018 offseason. Nevertheless, despite immense optimism heading into the 18/19 season, the Rockers suffered a disastrous start.

Up until November, the Rockets sat well outside the playoff places, and the team was heavily criticized for their public breakup with Carmelo Anthony. However, the Rockets have since put together an excellent run of results, and the team are now in the playoff hunt thanks to James Harden's incredible individual performances.

Despite this, the Rockets roster remains incredibly thin, and the team has suffered from a number of injuries. Due to this, Houston are likely to be active in the trade market in the next seven days, and here we will look at three things that we expect from the Rockets ahead of the trade deadline.

#3 Brandon Knight remains on the roster

Brandon Knight joined the Rockets last summer, as the 27-year-old was traded alongside Marquese Chriss in exchange for Ryan Anderson and De'Anthony Melton. The motivating factor behind the trade was the Rockets desire to get rid of Anderson's contract, however, Houston had to take on Knight's contract in return.

Knight is owed $14.5 million for the current season, while his salary will rise to $15 million for the 2019/20 campaign. Injuries have also kept Knight away from the team, and the guard has played just nine times this season while shooting an abysmal 23% from the field.

The Rockets were reportedly keen to offload the guard alongside a draft pick, however, these rumors have recently faded, and Knight has also picked up a new injury. Due to this, the former Pistons man is likely to stick around until the summer, when the Rockets will once again try to offload his contract.

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#2 The team adds a veteran player

The Rockets signed both Chris Paul and Clint Capela to huge new deals last summer, so the team no longer has the cap space to add a third All-Star. Nevertheless, the Rockets may be willing to go into the luxury tax in order to acquire a player that can boost the team, and Houston have been linked with both J.R. Smith and Trevor Ariza.

The Rockets were interested in bringing Ariza back to the team earlier this season, although they ultimately missed out on a deal as the 33-year-old headed to the Wizards. Meanwhile, Smith was part of the Cavaliers 2016 Championship winning roster, and the guard has been available for a trade since November. Both players currently have overvalued contracts, although the Rockets organization will try to include some of their own high earners in order to get a deal done.

#1 The team fails to add a backup center

Clint Capela is set to miss the next month of action, although the All-Star break will help reduce the number of matches that the center will be out for. Nevertheless, the Rockets have lacked depth at the position for the last few years, and the team is in desperate need of a reliable backup for their young Swiss star.

The team has been linked with the likes of Nerlens Noel and Dewayne Dedmon, however, the chances of the Rockets signing either one of these players looks low, as the team doesn't appear to have the right pieces to get a trade done. The Rockets have also tested out using Kenneth Faried at the center spot, and the power forward has impressed during his first few games. Ultimately, a new center may arrive in 2019, although don't expect it to happen this week.