Rockets Target Playmaking, Elite Rebounding Wing in Hypothetical Trade
Does this move improve their roster?
The Houston Rockets made significant upgrades this offseason, addressing their need for a reliable scorer and a consistent closer—and they arguably landed one of the greatest to ever do it: Kevin Durant, widely recognized as one of the league’s top scorers of all time.
In addition to Durant, the Rockets added depth and size on the wing with Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela. The latter was a somewhat surprising move, considering the Rockets were already strong at center.
In fact, Houston’s coach, Ime Udoka, often deployed a double-big lineup with Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun, which helped them dominate the glass. This approach led the Rockets to lead the league in both offensive and total rebounds in 2024-25, giving the team extra scoring opportunities—something that was valuable given their average offensive performance.
Now, a new mock trade has the Rockets acquiring Josh Hart, a versatile wing known for his elite rebounding skills, in exchange for Tari Eason. Houston faces a salary dilemma with Eason, whose contract has just one year remaining before he becomes a restricted free agent.
The rationale behind this trade proposal is outlined as follows:
“Houston finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference last season. They even took the Golden State Warriors to a Game 7 in the first round. But their loss in that game highlighted the need for more experience and leadership to help the team make a deeper playoff run in 2025-26. Hart could provide both while also improving the team’s defense and rebounding.”
Hart, who is known for his exceptional rebounding ability, averaged a career-high 9.6 boards per game last season, ranking 12th in the league (tied with Miami’s Bam Adebayo). What stands out about Hart is that he’s just 6-foot-4, meaning he’s outperforming much taller players on the boards.
In addition to his rebounding, Hart is an underrated playmaker, an asset the Rockets could use as they currently lack playmaking guards. He’s also a solid defender at the point of attack.
However, his long-range shooting remains a weakness. Hart made just 33% of his three-pointers in 2024-25, a modest improvement from the previous season’s 31%. While he’s shown the ability to get hot from deep at times—making 39% of his threes in the first 32 games of the season—his inconsistency was evident in the Eastern Conference Finals, where he shot just 18.2% from beyond the arc.
While he’s capable of providing shooting in spurts, Hart’s overall shooting still isn’t reliable enough to make him a primary threat from deep.
As for his contract, Hart is owed $40.3 million over the next two years, with a $22.4 million team option in his final year. Given that hefty price tag, the Rockets might be better off extending the younger Eason, who has more upside and could fit into their future plans.
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