The Rockets have spent the first stretch of this season looking like a team built to matter in the West, even after a loss Wednesday night to the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves. At 7-2, Houston is off to its best start since the franchise-record 2017-18 campaign, the year Chris Paul and James Harden helped push the club to 65 wins and its last trip to the Western Conference Finals.
That kind of start matters because it comes after a long climb back. Since the Harden trade to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, the Rockets have moved from lottery team to playoff team, and Ime Udoka has helped steer that rise since arriving in 2023.
Still, the last two seasons ended the same way: a first-round exit. There were reasons for that, including Houston’s first playoff appearance in four seasons in 2024 and the injuries that hit last year, when Fred VanVleet missed the entire season and Kevin Durant was available for only one playoff game.
This season was supposed to be different. Houston expected to have a full roster for the first time in the Kevin Durant era, with VanVleet ready to go and Steven Adams back after missing the final four months of last season with a lower-body injury.
That plan barely got out of the gate. Adams landed on the injury report after one game with a right soleus injury, and Udoka said he is not day-to-day but week-to-week.
Then Clint Capela, who had stepped in behind Adams, also went down with an ankle injury.
That leaves the Rockets staring at one area that may need attention before the trade deadline: backup center.
It is not hard to see why. When healthy, Adams is one of the league’s best reserve bigs, and Houston’s rebounding numbers have shown it.
Since he arrived, the Rockets have been the NBA’s best rebounding team every season he has been on the roster. When Adams missed time last January, that edge slipped.
The problem is obvious, though: his availability has not been dependable. He missed several months last season, has played only one game this season, and had already sat out the entire 2023-24 season before the Rockets got him at the deadline.
Capela has been useful, but he is now in his 14th season and no longer the same lob threat he once was. Oscar Tshiebwe has given Houston solid minutes in limited action, but he does not solve the specific need here. The Rockets want a backup center who can run, protect the rim, and either play above the rim or stretch the floor.
The good news is that Houston has the kind of draft capital that makes a move possible. The Rockets hold the most assets in the 2027 draft, including the ability to swap picks with the Nets and the Phoenix Suns’ first-round pick.
Both teams are off to rough starts, with the Suns at 1-5 and the Nets at 2-6. And while the old lottery system rewarded the bottom three records the most, that is no longer the case; finishing with the worst record now gives only two ping-pong balls, while finishing 4-10 offers better odds.
That gives Houston options. The Rockets could use those picks in a larger deal, or they could decide the current trajectory is strong enough that a smaller move makes more sense. If that is the route they take, backup center is the spot to target.
There are a few names that fit the conversation, each with a different kind of appeal and baggage.
Robert Williams brings the athleticism Houston would love. He is a rim-running, above-the-rim center who can change the energy of a second unit.
But the injury concerns are real, and they mirror the same issue the Rockets already have with Adams. Williams has played just 85 games over the last three seasons, and at $14 million per year, he is the priciest option on the list.
Landing him likely means moving Adams, which undercuts the idea of keeping the best version of that backup role intact.
Jalen Smith offers a different look. He is more of a stretch big and a solid shot blocker, and he tied his career high by shooting .373 from 3-point range.
Houston has not had a center who can space the floor like that in a long time, and Smith could give them exactly that off the bench. His contract is also easier to manage at nine million a season.
The catch is that he is in the final year of his deal, so he could leave after this season, especially if he wants a starting opportunity next year.
Day’Ron Sharpe may be the most intriguing of the group. The Nets are rebuilding, which makes him a logical name to watch.
He is the youngest of the three, a strong offensive rebounder, a capable floor runner, and someone whose outside shooting has improved. Sharpe would give Houston a young, mobile backup center it has not really had in years.
His deal is also manageable at 10 million a season for the next two seasons. He does not give you Smith’s shooting, but he does bring the kind of board-crashing presence that resembles Adams when Adams is right.
Houston does not have to force anything right now. The Rockets can wait, keep their picks, and see how the season develops.
They can also use those assets for something bigger later. But if the goal is to make one move this season that helps the roster where it needs it most, backup center is the clear place to look.
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