Rockets Projected to Make Big Offseason Trade

The 2023-24 Houston Rockets were significantly better than expected, as they won 41 games, while they were predicted to win roughly 32 games by the Vegas oddsmakers. The Rockets surpassed the 40-win mark for the first time in four years, which highlights the magnitude of that feat for this organization. 

The next step will be the hardest part: reaching the playoffs when you're expected to be good. It's a bit easier to catch the league off guard when you're not predicted to be a contending team.

The Rockets will need to bolster the roster, which won't exactly be easy to do, as they don't have much to offer via trade, aside from draft picks. And their spending power is restricted, as Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are both nearing new deals.

Green caught fire near the middle of the season, but he's been inconsistent, which will surely hinder his trade value. According to Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz, the franchise could opt to trade someone else instead: Jock Landale. 

"Landale has one of the more unique contracts in all of basketball, and he's owed $8 million in each of the next three seasons but with all three years being non-guaranteed.

Houston could use his $8 million salary in a trade this offseason, with the team acquiring the 28-year-old then having the option to keep paying him this money or opt for the cap space instead."

Swartz also mentions that Landale will become the Rockets' third-string big man, with Steven Adams, who the Rockets traded for at the trade deadline, expected to be healthy by the start of training camp.

Landale struggled for much of the season, due in large part to an injury he sustained in the summer, but gave a glimpse of what could've been late in the season. His contract makes him an easy trade target, as only one year of his four-year deal was fully guaranteed, and that was the 2023-24 season.

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