Amen Thompson has been placed in a very small category inside the Rockets’ thinking.
In late June, Kelly Iko reported that rival teams who had reached out to Houston were told the 23-year-old Thompson is “the only near untouchable on the roster.” Iko also wrote that the Rockets are not actively shopping their All-Stars or other core pieces, but are showing more willingness to listen than they had before. The team, according to the reporting, has no reservations about shopping Kevin Durant.
That stance comes after a season in which Houston’s depth was tested by injuries and by an incomplete roster. The Rockets won 52 games after adding Durant in July of last year, but season-ending injuries to Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams undercut the group that had helped them control pace and possessions.
The Amen Thompson buzz only grew after Iko’s report. Tim MacMahon of the Hoop Collective Podcast was then quoted saying, “As high as you think they might be on Amen Thompson, they’re higher. I literally dont know that they’d trade him for anyone but Wemby…”
That kind of line is bound to raise eyebrows, but it also fits the way teams talk about prized young talent. Front offices tend to talk up their own players when trade calls start coming in, and Houston appears to view Thompson as something close to its last shot at a homegrown star from the draft.
Jalen Green didn’t reach expectations before being traded, while Jabari Smith Jr. is viewed by some as more of a high-end role player. The verdict on Sengun is still out, but Thompson is being treated like the centerpiece.
For my money, I’d widen the list a bit. I’d consider Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and maybe Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson.
Yes, the fit would get messy in some cases, and yes, the center situation would be awkward with Sengun in the mix. Let me cook.
Now the real question is yours: who would you trade Amen Thompson for? Build the list however you want, keep it short, keep it long, or say you wouldn’t move him at all.
If you want to get creative, throw in trade ideas too. For this exercise, salary matching doesn’t matter, since Amen’s salary doesn’t line up with anyone mentioned here except Wemby.
In Other News...
Rockets Just Sent A Strong Message About Bruce Thornton
Bruce Thorntons path to Houston has moved from draft-night asset to signed rookie, with the Rockets using the second-round pick exception to lock in the former Ohio State standout on a four-year NBA contract. It is another small but meaningful sign that the team values the guard it acquired in a draft-day trade with the Knicks, a move that helped Houston climb into position to bring him aboard.
The structure of the deal leaves room for the Rockets to keep Thornton on a development track while preserving flexibility, and his next stop will be Summer League in Las Vegas. For a player who arrived with a strong college rsum and a reputation for production, the real question now is how quickly he can turn that momentum into a role worth protecting in a crowded Houston backcourt. [Read more 🡒]
Rafael Stone Has One Rockets Habit Fans Cant Keep Ignoring
Rafael Stone has built a reputation in Houston for being aggressive when it comes to the margins of roster building, and that includes a habit Rockets fans have noticed for a while now: second-round picks rarely seem to stay in his pocket for long. The front office has had real success finding value in the middle of the first round, with Tari Eason and Alperen Sengun standing out as the kind of selections that help shape a teams future, but the second round has not produced nearly the same kind of payoff.
The latest move only sharpened the conversation, because it fit a pattern Stone has followed before, using that part of the draft as currency in deals that clear roster space or help with bigger cap-picture goals. He has earned credit for contract work and other smart parts of his tenure, but until Houston turns one of those second-round swings into a real contributor, the questions around that habit are not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]