Trade Idea Has Rockets Acquiring Ja Morant From Grizzlies to Address Backcourt Need

The Houston Rockets have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season as they currently sit fourth in the standings with a 31-17 record.

Of course, Houston had high expectations entering the season after acquiring Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason to pair alongside their young core led by Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

So far, the Rockets have lived up to expectations as they have looked like serious threat in the West despite being without both Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams due to injuries.

While the Rockets have put together a successful season thus far, they may look to upgrade their roster ahead of the February 5 trade deadline to try and make a run for a top seed in the West.

Rockets Could Target Grizzlies' Ja Morant to Address Backcourt Need

One area the Rockets could look to upgrade ahead of the trade deadline is their point guard position, which has been a struggle at times this season with VanVleet sidelined while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered during the offseason.

Despite this, Thompson has played well as Houston’s starting point guard this season, though they may look to add a true point guard ahead of the deadline.

If that is the case, one player they could target is Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant who they could acquire for a cheap price due to his decreased trade value, though it appears as though Memphis is looking to move him and begin a rebuild after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz.

Mock Trade Sends Fred VanVleet to Grizzlies, Ja Morant to Rockets

In a potential trade, the Rockets could send a package of VanVleet, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jae-Sean Tate and draft capital to the Grizzlies in exchange for Morant.

It may be a difficult decision to move on from VanVleet as he has been a key player for them over the past few seasons, though swapping him for Morant could set the Rockets up well for the future as Morant fits their core’s timeline better that VanVleet.

For Morant, he would provide the Rockets with a reliable scorer and playmaker who would finally fill their need for a starting point guard this season while also giving a young star player for the future.

This season, the 26-year-old guard is averaging 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from three.

Morant’s number have dropped this season, mainly due to him playing in only 20 games thus far due to injuries.

Because of this, Houston may be able to acquire him at a cheaper price, though they may also elect to hold off on a potential deal due to his injury history and prior off-court issues.

Either way, adding Morant to their roster could make the Rockets one of the teams to beat in the West this season, though they could also look elsewhere to upgrade their roster ahead of the trade deadline if they elect to do so.