The Houston Rockets franchise has had some incredible talent over its history. Hakeem Olajuwon is at the very top, capturing back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 as the best player on the team and the best all-around competitor in the league since Michael Jordan retired. Hakeem is the ultimate legend for the Rockets because of his title victories, the only ones in franchise history. Since then, the Rockets have not made the NBA Finals since. Overall, Houston has made four Finals appearances, including the 1981 and 1986 seasons when Moses was on the team in the prior and Hakeem was a young star in the latter.
- With The First Pick In The 2023 NBA Draft… The Houston Rockets Select Victor Wembanyama!
- Houston Rockets Land Damian Lillard In A Blockbuster Trade
- James Harden Returns To Houston To Bring The Championship
- The Super Big 3 Is Complete, And A Championship Is Won
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Not to mention, the Rockets have not won a Western Conference title since Hakeem led the team in 1995. The closest they came was in 2018 when they had superstar James Harden who won league MVP alongside superstar point guard Chris Paul. The team was competed by head coach Mike D’Antoni who spearheaded a dominant offense, and key two-way players including Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon, PJ Tucker, and Clint Capela. The Rockets made it to Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals against the superteam Golden State Warriors led by Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, but Chris Paul was unavailable and James Harden could not do it without his sidekick.
Since then, Houston has failed to look like legitimate title contenders and their championship window closed when James Harden left the team on his own terms. Without Harden and much of the championship core intact, Houston has dropped in the Western Conference standings as they are currently one of the worst teams in recent memory. The Rockets are rebuilding with Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr, and Jabari Smith Jr kickstarting a new era. Without veterans and such young players leading the team, there will be a ton of growing pains.
Luckily, Houston can return back to contention in as little as one season. The Rockets have been disastrous for three seasons, finishing with a 17-55 in 2021, 20-62 in 2022, and currently 15-49 in 2023 so far. No doubt, based on the team record, the Rockets need to improve quickly or risk becoming a massive laughing stock. Due to their poor record, they are in the mix to acquire superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama and also welcome two elite superstars to lead the charge in Houston. For the first time since 2018, the Rockets can become title contenders again and for the first time since 1995, Houston can become champions. Here is the master plan for the Houston Rockets to create a real superteam and win the 2024 NBA championship.
With The First Pick In The 2023 NBA Draft… The Houston Rockets Select Victor Wembanyama!
No doubt about it, almost every losing team is focused on tanking for the No. 1 overall pick. The reason? Victor Wembanyama is a future superstar and potentially an all-time great player. The center is unlike any player we have ever seen because of his incredible size and skill. Wembanyama can create shots and handle the ball like a wing while still possessing the rim protection skills of a dominant center. Right now, Victor is playing for Metropolitans 92 in France and has shown enough to be the prospect everyone is after.
Wembanyama, who stands 7’4” tall and possesses an 8-foot wingspan, makes every other player ever described as a “unicorn” feel mischaracterized. Kristaps Porzingis was labeled as “The Unicorn”, but injuries and a somewhat limited ceiling prevented him from reaching stardom. Victor could be a bonafide superstar, and he will go No. 1 overall, no matter which team ends up with the No. 1 pick. Considering the Houston Rockets are tied for the worst record in the NBA along with the Detroit Pistons, the team has a chance to acquire the best big man they have had since Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon.
Victor Wembanyama is by far the best prospect coming into the NBA, even ahead of highly touted point guard Scoot Henderson. We analyzed both future rookies and as great as Henderson is, he is not on the level of one of the most incredible basketball prospects of all time. Luckily for Houston, they have a 14% chance to grab the No. 1 overall pick, and if they do, Houstonians will be celebrating until the time comes for the Frenchman to lead the new era for the Rockets. The only way the Rockets can return to legitimacy is if they acquire Victor Wembanyama to be the best big man they can field. With the most hyped prospect in recent memory on their side, the Rockets have one of the three major building blocks to win the 2024 NBA championship.
Houston Rockets Land Damian Lillard In A Blockbuster Trade
Damian Lillard has continued to pledge his loyalty to Portland, for good and bad. However, pressure is building in Portland since the team holds a below-average 30-34 record despite Lillard’s presence. The Trail Blazers have promised to build a contender around Dame, but that has not worked out despite the point guard competing hard on offense. Of course, the NBA community is certain that Portland should move Lillard once and for all. Even NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal seems to think trading Lillard is the right move, and he is not the one to mince his words.
Lillard seems defiant to stay in Portland, but it could actually be better for the franchise if they move the point guard for a chance to rebuild instead of paying the player over $50 million down the road. The team that can offer the best rebuilding picks, including young stars and first-round picks is the Houston Rockets. Here is the trade package to bring Lillard to Houston.
Trade Package: Jalen Green, Kevin Porter, Alperen Sengun, 2023 First-Round Pick from Brooklyn, 2023 First-Round Pick from Milwaukee, Los Angeles, or Oklahoma City, 2028 First-Round Pick
Lillard is one of the best offensive players in the NBA and can lead the charge for the Rockets. Houston has never had a dominant offensive point guard of Lillard’s caliber, with the most recent ones being Chris Paul, Steve Francis, and Calvin Murphy. Lillard can score better than all three of these players and can be a superstar player who can score and be a playmaker for the team. It would be an absolute blockbuster deal for Lillard to join the Rockets, especially since the point guard seems defiant about staying where he is.
The only way this works is if the Rockets get lucky enough to grab the No. 1 overall pick to select Victor Wembanyama and also convince James Harden to come back to Houston. That’s right, the Rockets can pull off a blockbuster deal to offload their three best young players for a chance to acquire superstar Damian Lillard to be in the backcourt alongside 3-time scoring champion James Harden.
James Harden Returns To Houston To Bring The Championship
James Harden to the Houston Rockets is a very real possibility. After all, reports have been coming out about the shooting guard going “back home” to the place where he became a superstar and one of the greatest offensive players of all time. The Rockets made a massive decision to bring Harden over from Oklahoma City and pay him, and it worked out in their favor because he became one of the franchise’s greatest players behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone. Harden won an MVP in Houston, three scoring titles, and almost made the NBA Finals in 2018 alongside Chris Paul.
The Beard seemingly loves the city of Houston, as he has family ties, businesses, and appreciation for the community. These are powerful factors for a player who is getting older and might have lost a step in terms of being a 30 PPG scorer who needs constant triple teams. If the reports are true that there is a 70% chance Harden signs with the Rockets, the player could be in the mix for a max contract. Houston is on board with only $60 million in salary cap space in 2024, as the team is full of youngsters and spare parts. They might pay Harden at least $35-$40 million over 3 years to bring back some legitimacy lost over the past few years. Remember, Houston realizes that the team is a massive disaster in terms of competing on both ends, and fixing their offense is a massive upgrade when Victor Wembanyama is down low defending the basket.
Even if Victor Wembanyama is acquired and the rockets acquire Damian Lillard, who is making $45,640,084 in 2024, $48,787,676 in 2025, and $58,545,211 in 2026, there is money left for Harden. Harden is very aware that he is not going to get a max deal anywhere else but Houston, especially for the longer term. Perhaps Philadelphia can be in the mix for a max deal, but the Rockets can offer much more to bring The Beard on board. Again, Harden loves Houston, and the city loves him back just as much, even if he left under the worst circumstances. With Harden on board alongside the most intriguing rookie since LeBron James and another superstar in Damian Lillard, the Big Three is complete.
The Super Big 3 Is Complete, And A Championship Is Won
No doubt, Houston’s Big Three is absolutely fascinating. Victor Wembanyama is the greatest rookie prospect since LeBron James entered the league because we have not seen a player with his size and skill before. Victor can hold down the fort inside and can also be the third option as a rookie who will need time to learn the ropes of superstardom. The Frenchman will be extremely dominant in catching lobs from James Harden, who is still one of the best passers in the NBA (10.6 APG in the 2023 season). Defensively, Victor can make up for Harden and Lillard’s weaknesses on defense, mainly pertaining to size and inconsistency. Even more impressively, Jabari Smith Jr, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, will suit up alongside Wembanyama. Smith Jr is a prototypical modern power forward who can space the floor, score well, defend, and rebound.
Smith Jr is posting 11.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.0 BPG this season as a 19-year-old rookie on a losing team. Those numbers will increase once the forward plays on a better side, and he will do well with a year under his belt. A frontcourt of Wembanyama and Smith Jr will be extremely tough to handle on both ends, especially as the years go by. With the frontcourt set, the Rockets can dominate with their superstar guards. Harrison Barnes becomes the stalwart at the other forward spot and has plenty of experience playing on a superteam.
Even if the Rockets will acquire Lillard and his massive salary along with max money being paid to Harden, they will have enough to pay Harrison Barnes who will be a free agent. Barnes is a 6’8” forward who can defend four positions when required, space the floor (career 37.9% 3-PT FG), and also compete on the fast break. Remember, Barnes played on the Golden State Warriors team that won the 2015 NBA title. In many ways, Barnes can play the Trevor Ariza role in terms of being a two-way floor spacer.
Damian Lillard becomes the stalwart at the point guard spot and does a fantastic job. The point guard is already one of the greatest players to have never won an NBA championship and is having a great career as one of the best talents to ever compete in Portland. Lillard has made 7 All-Star Teams along with 6 All-NBA Teams, with his Rookie of the Year trophy the only major award the player has won. A member of the All-NBA 75th Anniversary Team, Lillard has done enough to become one of the best scorers ever but he can lead a new era in Houston alongside Victor Wembanyama and James Harden.
Finally, James Harden returns home while returning to the shooting guard position. The Beard was the shooting guard that played alongside Chris Paul, and the duo went as far as Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. Harden and Lillard will be more formidable on offense than the previous duo because Lillard is one of the greatest three-point shooters ever. Harden will also have the help he is looking for because, at 33 years old, he can’t carry a team singlehandedly anymore and will need Dame to step up alongside Victor Wembanyama, Jabari Smith Jr, and Harrison Barnes.
With a Big Three and talented role players that can be acquired in free agency (), the Rockets can win the 2024 NBA title. Wembanyama’s hype is absolutely real because he looks like a true unicorn, and we know what to expect from Lillard. The West is wide open even if Durant is on the Phoenix Suns because there is no other dominant team. Denver only has one All-Star, Memphis is still immature with Ja Morant not acting like a leader, and the two Los Angeles teams (Clippers and Lakers) have dropped significantly under expectation. The Rockets can challenge Phoenix as the team to beat in the West and can legitimately win it all in 2024 with the best Big Three in the NBA.
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