The Rockets are reportedly out on the Suns big names.
The Houston Rockets are tied to just about any player that becomes available, due to their plethora of assets in draft picks and young talent. But with Devin Booker, the Rockets reportedly held genuine interest, even if Booker wasn’t one of those guys who was actually on the market. Well, a recent report from The Athletic says that the Rockets are out on Booker now too.
The report, from Kelly Iko and Sam Amick, says:
The Rockets have previously held serious interest in the Suns’ Devin Booker, but team sources said that is no longer the case. Not only do team officials still have faith in Jalen Green, who is five years younger than Booker and $66 million cheaper over the next three seasons, but also Booker’s struggles last season shifted the thinking on this front.
So whether that’s just posturing from the Rockets or Rafael Stone really has moved on from the former apple of his eye, the NBA scuttlebutt no longer has Houston pursuing Booker.
In addition, the article re-affirms Houston’s disinterest in Kevin Durant, stating that any attempts to move Durant were made by the Suns, not the Rockets, and that Houston feels that Durant is simply too old. It’s an opinion that I — and probably most of you — share.
The report states:
While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable of that group, and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston, team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant’s age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline. It’s worth noting that previous talks between the teams about Durant, team sources said, were initiated by the Suns.
So there you have it. The Rockets are out on the Suns players. Whether that same remains to be true for Giannis Antetokounmpo or someone from the Celtics if they decide blow it up remains to be seen.