Rockets general manager Stone has publicly expressed his appreciation for Gordon and Augustine, both veteran guards still have oil in the tank, the former attacking and defending, the latter is very stable.
If the Rockets are going to hit the playoffs in full force in the new season, they really should leave Gordon and Augustine behind. However, Stone has made it clear that the Rockets want to develop young players and will not care about the results of the game. It was enough to coach young players with Wall, and head coach Silas publicly praised him as a coach on the field, which made Gordon and Augustine seem a bit redundant.
"Open Stand" previously said that if the Rockets were to pick three players in urgent need of purge, it would definitely be Gordon, House and Augustine.
"Nbaanalysis" Rocket 4 for 3 scheme was released recently, and the American media believes that the Rockets can make a win-win deal with the Lone Ranger. Roundface Deng + Augustine can rush to the aid of Doncic, the Rockets got the first round pick as compensation, and also made room for young defenders such as Green.
The specific deal plan is: the Rockets sent Eric Gordon, DJ Augustine, the 2024 second-round picks and the 2026 second-round picks, and the Lone Rangers got Dwight Powell, Trey Burke and the 2024 first-round picks (lotto protection).
Healthy Gordon breaks through sharply, defends toughly, and improves his passing ability last season, and he can share the pressure well for Doncic. The Lone Ranger needs a playoff tough guy like Gordon too much.
Augustine, though 33 years old, can still contribute to the bench. Augustine averaged 10.6 points, 2.2 boards, 3.9 assists in 20 minutes per game for the Rockets last season, a three-point shooting percentage of 38.6 percent (1.7 from 4.4 shots), a true shooting percentage of 60.4 percent, and a two-year contract left in his contract, but the guarantee portion is only $7.33 million.
Interior Dwight Powell, 30, suffered a serious injury and averaged just 7.4 minutes per game in the playoffs last season and about $23 million on a two-year contract. Guard Trey Burke, 28, is 1.83 meters tall and averaged just 8.5 minutes per game in the playoffs last season, with more than $6 million left in two years on his contract.
The Lone Rangers, who want to win more, don't have the energy to develop their first-round rookies, and Powell and Burke are not very important to this team, so this plan is acceptable for them.
The Rockets will not feel pain when sending two second-round picks, exchange Gordon + Augustine for Powell + Burke, save a sum of money, and also get a 2024 first-round pick as compensation, this plan is also acceptable.