With the exception of Harden and Ben Simmons, basically most of the players who changed their owners through trades have already made appearances for their new owners in the game. The Rockets' two new signings, Schroeder and Fernando, also made their debut in the previous Rockets' defeat to the Jazz, but they did not have many opportunities to perform, and the Rockets also lost a big score on the road.
But the Rockets' transformation of the lineup is still worthy of recognition, after all, the Rockets sent away the veteran Theis, in exchange for the younger Schroeder and Fernando, not only to make the Rockets lineup younger, but also to get the Rockets urgently needed No. 1 player. We know that although the Rockets claim to have 3 point guards Porter Jr., Wall and Daison Knicks, in fact, the Knicks have been playing in the development league for a long time, and Wall is no longer playing for the Rockets, so most of the time, the Rockets coach has to use Christopher and Gordon to make cameos as point guards, making them a stand-in for Porter Jr.
This is also the reason why the Rockets did not buy out Schroeder, the Rockets need a traditional point guard too much, although Schroeder's personal style is still based on his own attack, but he is also one of the Rockets' rare passing masters. But to be honest, through a small move by the Rockets, we can see that Schroeder, whose contract is about to expire this summer, is difficult to stay with the Rockets.
The Lakers have always wanted the Rockets to buy out Schroeder, after all, the Lakers need a backup point guard to lead the second team, but the Rockets have not let anyone go. The Lakers want to sign Schroeder, but it is very likely to be a "passer-by" in the Rockets lineup - just like rocket center Olynek and big forward DJ Wilson last season, although they became a member of the rocket team before the trade deadline, after the end of the season, they failed to get the rockets to send a contract extension, and had to join other teams.
The Rockets signed with development league point guard Daishin Knicks on a four-year, $6 million contract, as evidenced by that. We know that the 21-year-old Porter Jr. + 20-year-old Knicks are exactly the main candidates for the Rockets' future point guard position.
Although Schroeder has a certain strength, he is 28 years old, and as a star, he has a high self-esteem, and will not take the initiative to become the main point guard Porter Jr., but will also compete with Porter Jr. for the ball. Moreover, Schroeder will ask for at least one mid-level contract this summer, which the Rockets can't provide. The 28-year-old Lakers' favorite is more like a "short-term job" with the Rockets this season.
Therefore, signing the Knicks on a 4-year contract became the best proof that the Rockets did not want to stay with Schroeder for a long time. The Knicks are a rookie who lost the rookie, but he has a good performance in the development league, young and low-key, and is an excellent candidate for the Rockets to replace the point guard. Having the Knicks in a stand-in for Porter Jr. is also very much in line with the Rockets' rebuilding plan — recruiting underpaid potential newcomers to serve the Rockets' future rise.
Once Schroeder does not renew his contract with the Rockets this summer, coupled with Wall being "beaten into the cold palace", the two major candidates for the Rockets' point guard position next season are naturally Porter Jr. + Knicks. The No. 1 main + substitute has been done, the Rockets only need to choose the front or interior rookies from the draft this summer, fortunately, there are not many high-quality defenders in this year's draft conference, but there are not many elite newcomers in the interior and front, which is just in line with the needs of the Rockets.