The Rockets’ apparent need for a starting-caliber point guard came to the surface when they lost Fred VanVleet to a season-ending ACL injury before training camp even began.
Former Mavericks player Theo Pinson believes that the Rockets could land Kyrie Irving in a trade package involving Amen Thompson and potentially even Alperen Sengun. On the most recent episode of the ‘To the Baha’ podcast, Pinson addressed this hypothetical trade package directly.
“If Kyrie goes to Houston, oh my god!” exclaimed Pinson on the show’s viral clip on social media.
“Bye bye, Amen,” he further added when a co-host asked him which key piece the Rockets would have to trade for him.
“I don’t know if I say ‘No way,'” he further said when wondering if Sengun would be included in that package.
“If he’s not injured, at this point, Kyrie Irving is in championship mode. So at that point, get me to a team that can win it,” explained Pinson on why he believes Irving could land in Houston.
“We looked at it yesterday too, they have a money problem over there too… They might just have to get rid of these guys to not be over there,” said Pinson on the Mavericks. “I don’t even know what this apron and all this other sh** is,” he added.
Amen Thompson is in his third year in the NBA and has already earned his name across the league for his elite athleticism and defense. He is currently averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 46.7 from the floor.
Considering that Thompson’s salary is not sufficient to match Kyrie Irving’s salary, a viable way they can move the needle on a potential package here without losing out another crucial young star would be to include Fred VanVleet and include draft assets to convince the Mavericks to let go of their veteran point guard.
Since VanVleet is recovering from a similar injury to Irving, the upside for the Mavericks would be a player like Thompson to instantly impact their starting lineup and a veteran point guard to guide a young roster.
First of all, this comment from Pinson on the Rockets’ need for a true point guard seems a bit outdated. The Rockets have won 10 of their last 11 games in the regular season.
The Rockets have already figured out a very solid usage rate between Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant to run their offense, and introducing a heavy ball-usage guard into the equation would only mess it up like it did in Durant’s previous superteams.
Secondly, why would the Rockets trade a promising player and menacing defender like Thompson, who could become a franchise player for them in the future with Sengun? And that too for an aging player like Kyrie Irving, who is returning from what usually ends up being one of the worst injuries that a basketball player can suffer through, and the hardest to recover from.
That’s too big a risk for Houston to try and rekindle a spark between two players on the court (Durant and Irving) who once played well together but never really went all the way due to circumstances.
Thirdly, over the past few games, the Rockets’ coaching staff and veterans have increasingly shown confidence in Reed Sheppard to play consistent minutes at the point guard position. He has shown glimpses of brilliance, and introducing a player like Irving could severely hamper the growth of the Sheppard.
It would be delusional to think that the Rockets would trade their franchise player, Sengun, for a risky player like Irving at this point. But even including Thompson in a trade package for Irving seems a bit too win-now oriented instead of maintaining the solid core that could eventually dominate the league by itself.
Additionally, reports suggest that while the Mavericks are taking trade calls for Anthony Davis, they are not going to consider trading Irving.
“The Mavericks still intend to field any trade interest in Davis that emerges over the next two-plus months … with the prospect of an actual trade obviously dependent on offer quality. Davis, remember, has only been healthy enough to appear in 14 of 48 regular-season games since becoming a Maverick due to serious adductor and calf setbacks,” wrote NBA Insider Marc Stein while giving the latest intel on the Mavericks’ plans.
“Sources say that the Mavericks, by contrast, are not encouraging trade inquiries for Kyrie Irving, who remains out indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery in late March. Already vibing nicely with prized rookie Cooper Flagg in practice settings, Irving is a player they hope to keep,” the report further said on Irving.
Therefore, it seems a bit excessive for Pinson to suggest that the Rockets gut their core for a player who is very happy where he is and whose franchise has no intention of letting him go.
