The biggest deal of the season was made near the trade deadline, with the Nets getting a 76ers return led by Ben Simmons in the case of sending James Harden. But this is not the first time the 76ers have tried to pursue Harden, as early as Harden was still working for the Rockets, the 76ers expressed interest in Harden.
In fact, Harden revealed in an interview that he also regarded the 76ers as the "first choice" at the time:
"Initially, when I was going through everything in Houston, Philadelphia was my first choice," Harden said, "but it didn't happen." ”
The 76ers were reluctant to satisfy the Rockets' asking price, which eventually allowed the Nets to smoothly push for a deal involving Harden.
On the other hand, according to ESPN reporter Dave McMinn, the Rockets actually had the opportunity to push for a deal involving Russell Westbrook before this year's trade deadline, only to fail because the Lakers were reluctant to take on a larger contract:
"Christian Wood was also involved in John Wall's deal with Westbrook, and Rocket sources told me the Lakers were reluctant to take on a bigger contract."
Given the situation within the Lakers, it's not necessarily a good thing to push for such a deal, but if the Rockets can get Westbrook and other chips out of Wall and Wood, it's still a good choice for the Rockets.
Finally, the Rockets officially announced that the team has converted the two-way contract of rookie guard Daishin Knicks to a standard contract:
In eight games for the Rockets this season, The Deschen Knicks averaged 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.8 steals in 36 minutes per game.