Danuel House‘s future in Houston should be considered “up in the air” in the wake of his dismissal from the Disney World campus, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. House reportedly apologized to the team before leaving Orlando for having an unauthorized guest in his room, but Iko believes he has lost the trust of his teammates. Former coach Mike D’Antoni was a strong supporter of House, but he’s no longer around to advocate for the young forward.
Working in House’s favor are a team-friendly contract that pays him roughly $3.7MM next season and nearly $3.9MM in 2021/22, along with the marked improvement he showed after the hiatus ended. House played a larger role in the offense during the Orlando restart, increasing his scoring average from 10.2 to 13.8 PPG without sacrificing efficiency.
Iko cites rumors around the league that House might have been in line for a much larger contract once his current deal expires. He talks to an Eastern Conference scout who said his team was watching House closely before he re-signed with the Rockets, but Iko wonders if the Disney World incident will steer teams away from committing big money to House.
There’s more from Houston:
- Although this season didn’t turn out the way they hoped, the Rockets don’t regret picking up Russell Westbrook in exchange for Chris Paul and a package of draft picks, Iko adds in the same piece. Houston was concerned that Paul wouldn’t hold up physically as he got older, and management jumped at the chance to acquire a former MVP. Iko notes that the team may eventually wish it had some of those picks back, put the focus is on being a title contender for the next three years.
- Houston won’t try to trade either House or Eric Gordon this offseason, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Feigen writes that general manager Daryl Morey doesn’t operate based on emotion, and the franchise still views House as a good value at a position where the roster is thin. Gordon had a disappointing season after agreeing to a four-year extension, but Feigen says the Rockets would be selling low if they try to move him now.
- Katie Heindl of Basketball News believes Houston should “double down” on its investment in Westbrook rather than trying to unload his contract. She notes that most teams will be conservative this offseason because of the loss in revenue and adds that a new coach can change the way Westbrook and James Harden are used to maximize opportunities for both of them.
My standings
There is zero chance Rockets will trade Harden because they are not tanking for Thunder
Chris Paul is a better player than Westbrook in enerything，shooting passing defending⋯
Rockets will be 5-8 seed and be knocked out in the first round next year
Thanks, Zodiac.
According to Iko, the Rockets are clueless – and the rest of everyone else thinks bringing this lineup back is a good idea?
I would be aggressively trying to get out of Westbrook’s contract ASAP. If they were worried about Chris Paul this season and next, they have that problem twice as long with Russ.
[Insert James Harden hate here]
So Kelly Iko knows more about the NBA than Daryl Morey? I seriously doubt it.
How many championships has Morey won?
How many championships has Kelly Iko won?
2 excellent points in this article
1 Westbrook 3pt at 25% and Gordon 3pt at 31%，new coach can make them good again
2 All Rockets players trade value is all time low，they would have to sell low．They are not selling anyone
The only people who thought bringing in Westbrook was a good idea was Morey, Harden and WestbrookHardenMVPs. Westbrick does not complement Harden at all and makes their roster even more built for playoff failure. And they traded 2 picks and 2 swaps to bring in that poor fit. They looked so much more functional with CP3 out there who actually has an elite basketball IQ and doesn’t rely on athleticism that always disappears in the postseason.
Westbrick is misspelling
Correct spelling is Westbroke
He’s hardly broke. The man is gifted and a gazillionaire. How about this.. Russell Worst-brick ?
I can’t imagine the Rockets are going to run this back. I guess it’s possible since, as the writer said, you’d be selling Eric Gordon low. If it was me, but I’m a little bit of a Trader Dave type Gunslinger from the 18 1800s, I would trade James Harden for a big-time haul to a team that is one go-to guy away.
Would Milwaukee go for it? How about Atlanta? The Warriors? Actually the list could be quite long. Any team would love a James Harden added to what they already have. The guy can hoop.
It is hard to be optimistic about Houston’s future. Westbrook should be untradable and Gordon at the moment won’t arouse too much interest either. All other players are either too valuable to the team (Covington, Tucker) or of little trade value. And they have no rounds. My bet is they will try yet one more season and, if results are disappointing, they’ll move Harden.
Covington will be traded for luxury tax saving
Tucker is too old
Gordon plays 36 games this season
Westbrook is on load management
So they won’t trade Harden
Whatever happens happens…the most important thing in Houston is that harden-westbrook-mvps doesn’t change his forum name, he’s the real MVP.
I would argue the team friendly contract works against House, not in his favor. He’s very easy to trade, because his contract is such a bargain.
I read that 76ers and D’antoni will sign free agent James Harden after he opt out his final year 47 million in 2022
do you believe everything you read? Because i wouldn’t bud
House: that was expensive piece of a$$.