The Houston Rockets enter the offseason with a clear problem to solve: they didn’t meet expectations, and the year was bumpy enough that injuries became part of the story almost immediately. Much of that slide, according to reporting, traces back to the absences of Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet, two injuries that did more than just thin the rotation.
“Interviews with team sources and those with knowledge of the team's operations reveal that the VanVleet injury, and the season-ending ankle injury to Steven Adams later on, impacted the team in ways that extended off the floor. Beyond the team's glaring lack of playmaking, their absences created a massive leadership void that Durant and the team struggled to fill,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon wrote.
Even with that setback, Houston still views itself as a team that can move closer to real contender status with the right deal or two. One idea floated by SI’s Eric Jay Santos would send Adams and VanVleet out in a swap for Kyrie Irving.
“The most realistic trade package that the Rockets can offer for Irving is VanVleet and Steven Adams. In addition to nearly matching salaries, this deal would give Houston the opportunity to unlock one of the NBA’s top court generals in exchange for two players that have had availability concerns,” Santos wrote.
The fit is obvious on paper, and it gets more interesting because Irving may not be off the market forever. Dallas has pushed back on trade interest all offseason, but the conversation hasn’t gone away.
“The Mavericks, as we've been writing since mid-June, have consistently swatted away trade interest this offseason in nine-times-an-All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches.
The primary factor fueling that curiosity, of course, is that fact that Irving is 34 and Mavericks star forward Cooper Flagg is 19. Not your average age gap between the team's two best players,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote.
If Houston ever got that deal done, it would put Irving back alongside Kevin Durant, his former Brooklyn Nets teammate. The two have already had a shared championship dream, and the article notes that both believe they should have reached the Finals together with the Nets. In Houston, they’d get another shot at that kind of run, with Irving bringing shot creation, playmaking and the kind of offensive punch that changes the shape of a team.
Irving has earned $347 million over the course of his career, and at this stage, both he and Durant are still chasing the same thing: another real chance at a title. A reunion in Houston would give them that opening again.
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