The Houston Rockets are looking to catapult themselves back into contention this summer after signing Ime Udoka as head coach and aggressively pursuing James Harden to return to the franchise. But another star might be on Houston’s radar.
NBA insider Rafael Barlowe revealed on his Substack that the Rockets have shown interest in looking at Zion Williamson as a potential trade target this summer.
“The Rockets hold the No. 4 pick in the draft, are already one of the youngest teams in the league, and are potentially interested in moving the pick for a win-now player (or players). In my conversations, the name Zion Williamson has come up as a potential trade target for Houston.”
Zion is a very hard trade prospect to evaluate due to his health issues. He played just 29 games last season but was dominant enough in that time to be named an NBA All-Star for averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
The Pelicans seem to be souring with Zion due to his inability to stay on the court and his recent personal life issues, so this might be the perfect time for them to move on from the star and give him a new situation to thrive in as well.
Zion Williamson Looking For Pastures New
Zion was supposed to take the mantle of leading the Pelicans from Anthony Davis, who was traded to the Lakers right before the team drafted Williamson No. 1 overall in 2019. He has played just 114 games after four seasons in the NBA, restricting the Pels from having the success they imagined when they made the pick.
The team is not happy with Williamson’s inability to stay healthy and in shape, so trading him away makes sense. There’s no guarantee behind he staying healthier in Houston, but a new situation with a coach like Udoka could give Zion more motivation to keep himself in shape.
If Harden also joins, the Rockets will have win-now expectations, so taking a risk by sending multiple assets for Zion might be premature for the franchise.
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