According to the Houston Chronicle reporter Fagan, the Rockets owner hopes that the team can make the playoffs next season, and hopes to bring back an All-Star-level point guard for the team in the offseason to help sort out the team's chaotic offense and ensure that the team can make the playoffs next season. As a result, Rockets owners hope to get All-Star point guard Halliburton at all costs this summer, and even be willing to pay this year's first-round pick if it is difficult. In order to get this player with excellent big-picture vision, Rockets general manager Stone also gave a very sincere chip. The Rockets and Pacers will negotiate a big 7-for-1 deal, and if the talks go well, Porter Jr. and Halliburton could swap owners.
First, the trading plan of the two sides and the change in the strength of the Rockets after the transaction
The specific trade plan is: the Rockets send Porter ➕ Jabari Jr. Smith ➕ Christopher ➕ Bobanix ➕ ➕2023 Clippers' first-round pick and the Nets' 2024 first-round pick ➕to get the Pacers' All-Star Haliburton ➕ McConnell.
If the Rockets' luck in this year's draft is any better, taking power forward Wen Ban Flax is definitely something that can be thought of with your toes. At that time, the Rockets will be composed: Haliburton ➕ Green ➕, Yin Sen ➕ Shen Jingwen ➕ Ban Flax's starting five tigers, all under the age of 22, the Rockets new five young formed, with nearly 50 million salary space this year to introduce an All-Star-level player, such a strong and potential roster is expected to help the Rockets directly enter the playoffs.
Second, the rocket wants to get the god-controlled Halliburton, what is the strength? Is it suitable for rockets?
Haliburton is 1.96 meters tall, has an arm span of 2.12 meters, weighs 86 kilograms, and plays as a point guard on the field. After Haliburton was traded by the Kings to the Pacers last season, under tactician Carlisle, he quickly adapted to the team's environment and conquered fans with his performance. Haliburton played 61 games for the Pacers this season, averaging 23.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. It can be said that the offense and organization are both correct, and the overall efficiency of offense and defense is also very high. This season, he shot 48.5% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range! This also allowed Haliburton to beat James Harden in the 2023 All-Star vote and successfully qualify for the All-Star Game.
He has the same excellent speed as Wall, the same strong offensive ability as Ross, the same broad passing vision as Paul, the same good at using offensive and defensive conversion points as Wilson, and the ability to read games like Harden is also the reason why he became a super commander on the court. In addition, he has the height advantage of a defender, a large defensive coverage area, and strong anticipation ability. He is undoubtedly a better point guard than Porter Jr., after joining the Rockets, he can form a backcourt double gun with Jaylen Green, this pair of backcourt double guns are not small guards, are big men around 2 meters, organization and offensive ability is the best in the league, both in terms of age and strength, the Rockets can be very competitive in the league in the next few years.
On March 10 of this month, in the Pacers' 134-125 overtime victory over the Rockets, outside core Haliburton shot 9 of 20 from the field, scoring a double-double of 29 points and 19 assists, one more assist than the entire Rockets team, activating the team to score double-doubles, thus leading the team to a narrow victory over the Rockets in overtime. Haliburton posted 19 assists in a single game, setting a new career record for assists in a single game, which he had previously recorded as 17. Since that game, Haliburton has already put out 10+ assists in 33 times this season, setting a new Pacers record. Meanwhile, Haliburton became the first player this season to score at least 29 points and 19 assists in a single game.
It was this game that strengthened the Rockets' determination to pursue him. After all, his ability to read the game and his passing vision are more than a notch better than Porter Jr.
Third, why would the Pacers trade Halliburton?
First, Porter Jr. has a good scoring ability.
He has played in 54 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.5 minutes per game. The scoring explosiveness is stronger than that of Halliburton, but this season the Rockets forced him to play point guard, the scoring was reduced, the weakness of weak organizational skills was infinitely magnified, and if he played in Carlisle's system, I believe he would definitely perform better.
You must know that on April 30, 2021, in the Rockets' 143-136 victory over the championship Bucks, Kevin Porter Jr. played 41 minutes, shooting 16 of 26, 9 of 15 three-pointers, and scored 50 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists, scoring a career high and extremely high gold content. Porter Jr. became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points and 10 assists, making him the fourth player under the age of 21 to cut 50+ in NBA history. On March 6 this year, the Rockets won 142-110 at home to the Spurs, Kevin Porter Jr. had 19 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists and 1 steal, and 13 assists set a new personal season high. On March 23, in the Rockets' 125-130 defeat to the Grizzlies, Kevin Porter Jr. had a triple-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. On the whole, Porter Jr.'s advantages are comprehensive skills and strong scoring explosiveness.
The second is to get the potential inside line of the rocket.
Jabari Smith was last year's Flower Show. He played 64 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds. Although Smith has failed this season, especially his shooting percentage is very low. He currently shoots just 38 percent overall and 30 percent from three-point range. However, considering the Rockets' chaotic offensive system, most of the forced shots when there is no ball are all kinds of forced shots that lead to a shooting percentage, plus Smith is only 19 years old and has endless potential, his attitude on the court is also very good, and the future is still very promising for development.
The third is the Nets' high-quality picks next year.
With the current staffing of the Nets, next season is likely to be in the bottom 10 of the league. At that time, this draft pick is likely to be in the top ten, and if you are lucky, the top three are also possible.
The Rockets are also very sincere about this deal, this deal Pacers get two potential players inside and outside, as well as two quality picks, both of which can be achieved under Fantastic Coach Carlisle, and it is also conducive to the further development of the Pacers' rebuilding work, which is a win-win.
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