NBA All-Star Named 'Ambitious Trade Target' for Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are in a bit of a hole right now regarding the rotation, particularly at the guard position. Their veteran leader and floor general, Fred VanVleet, will likely miss the season with a torn ACL suffered prior to training camp.

While the Rockets do have potential solutions within the roster, such as Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, VanVleet will be missed significantly. The 31-year-old averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season. He managed to boost those numbers in the playoffs.

The Rockets are not expected to make a move before December 15, as most of the tradeable contracts are core players that wouldn't make sense to depart from. Instead, while Houston is hard-capped at the first apron, players on the roster will need to step up in fill VanVleet's role.

However, that doesn't mean we couldn't see a trade coming this winter. Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz listed one ambitious trade target for every team this season, and Houston's had one of the league's biggest names in Trae Young.

"Trae Young joining forces with Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and others would make the Rockets an incredible force, even in the West," Swartz wrote. "Houston's fifth-ranked defense should be able to absorb Young's deficiencies on that end as well.

"Using VanVleet's expiring $25 million contract to help match salaries, the Rockets could put together a deal for Young while keeping their core pieces in place."

The Atlanta Hawks' franchise star averaged 24.2 points and 11.6 assists last season, leading the league in dimes per game. However, the Hawks have been suffering from mediocrity since their Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021.

Atlanta made a flurry of moves to make the team more competitive in a weak East, but if things continue to flop, Young could be on the move. He has been rumored to be up for grabs for the last year or so, the Rockets have been a major suitor for the 27-year-old.

Young joining Durant and Sengun would form arguably the best trio in the NBA. While the era of superteams is long gone, having one of, if not the best, playmakers in the league would fit Houston's system.

Young's all-around offensive skillset would be perfect next to a fellow playmaker in Sengun and a go-to scorer in Durant. He has some defensive limitations as a six-foot point guard, but the Rockets could offset that with one of the best ball-stopping teams in the NBA.