The 2020 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone and Daryl Morey and the front office did not stand still.
The Rockets traded Clint Capela, Nene, Gerald Green and a first-round pick in a large four-team deal to acquire Robert Covington and Jordan Bell, then sent Bell to Memphis for forward Bruno Caboclo.
Why This Was Necessary
We’ve seen 50 games of the James Harden–Russell Westbrook pairing and the results of the trade are in:
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This is the least-efficient offense of the D’Antoni Rockets era and, with the exception of the “Melo Rockets”, this is the least-efficient defense of the D’Antoni Rockets era.
Not exactly the kind of impact you would expect when you give up a crucial piece/Hall of Famer, two future first-round picks and two future first-round pick swaps.
By now, it should be clear that simply plugging and playing Westbrook into the template of past Rocketball success, a model that didn’t require structural change, won’t work and is never going to work. This team as constructed was not a legitimate contender. It was obvious with every home loss. It was a good team but not a great one and it was not going to win an NBA title.
While it’s safe to say the Rockets drastically overpaid in the Westbrook trade, it doesn’t mean it’s a failure yet. One title would validate it all. The problem is that was not going to happen for the Rockets as they were — they have to make changes if they’re going to get back to the contender status they earned the past three seasons.
This trade gives them a chance.
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The Rockets are taking a radical but smart approach to getting the skills of Harden and the strengths of Westbrook to mesh.
Capela was a key cog in the machine during the Chris Paul years. He was vital as a screener, pick-and-roll lob threat and rim protector. He improved a great deal as a switching defender. If defenders stayed home on the shooters, Harden or Paul would isolate, break down their man and force Clint’s defender to commit, creating alleyoop opportunities often. The Rockets were 42-3 in the 2017-18 regular season when Capela, Harden and Paul all played and Capela’s role in that can’t be overstated.
With Westbrook’s inability to shoot threes, this system broke down — or at least wasn’t as well-oiled. Teams were doubling Harden more frequently, inviting Westbrook to do something from long range. Westbrook has only one scoring play that he hits at an above-average clip — shots in the restricted area. He could thrive in space with easy lanes to the hoop, but with two non-shooters on the floor, that space was limited.
So while many fans were yelling, “Don’t blame Westbrook! He got you 35!” they weren’t understanding how this all worked. To Russ’ credit, he is playing fine by his standards and has adjusted by abandoning his ineffective three-point shot and attacking the basket, but the overall impact is still felt. Clint filled his role well for years, but the Rockets are now married to Russ and they have to make this work.
By removing Clint, Westbrook can now be the lone Rocket on the floor with limited range. Yes, you lose the lob threat and that’s big. You lose defense and rebounding and that’s even bigger. These are things the Rockets are going to have bust their ass to make up because they’re going to be undersized every night.
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But they have an identity now, a method to how they play that can maximize the skillset of their two star guards when both are on the floor. That’s what’s been missing. With four shooters around Westbrook, the likes of Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis can’t just loiter around the paint. The spacing that Westbrook needs to thrive on drives should be there and if they collapse protecting the rim, he’s a terrific passer and should find the shooters.
In other words, this might just fit now.
“It just presented itself,” said Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni on making the deal. “Clint got hurt. We have Russ, who is a unique talent, and I think we need to play to his talents. I think James is comfortable either way. It does help him, I think, in the long run.”
That’s why I haven’t even discussed Covington’s skillset until now because it’s important to understand why the Rockets viewed this as the right move. Acquiring a center for this team is much easier to do than it is to find a two-way wing like Covington. This gives the Rockets a true Trevor Ariza replacement, a strong defensive wing with a 7-foot-2 wingspan that can slide to four in smallball lineups. PJ Tucker is no longer alone as the team’s defensive anchor. Covington gives you another player that could attempt to slow down a Lebron or a Kawhi.
He’s a good three-point shooter (35.8% career) but not an incredible one. In Houston’s lineup, there’s a legit reason to be optimistic that he could inch closer to 40%.
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A lineup of Russ, Harden, Eric Gordon, Covington and Tucker is arguably the NBA’s most unique lineup. I expect the offensive rating to head towards being the best in the league once again. Defense? That’s the big question. Can the Rockets rebound and defend? If so, they’re a contender. If not, they’re a fun gimmick.
Caboclo is very intriguing. He’s 6-foot-9 with tremendous length, sporting a ridiculous 7-foot-6 wingspan. He’s energetic and can defend. I expect him to work his way into possibly getting some time at center, especially when Harden is running the show and Westbrook is on the bench. He has also shown the ability to hit from deep, connecting on 36.9% from three last year with the Grizzlies. That hasn’t been the case this season, but the ability is there and I think it will be a big key to working his way to minutes.
He’s dealing with a bone bruise in his knee and is still some time away from a return, but he’s an option for a four-five that D’Antoni can turn to.
Rockets Continue To Overpay
Trading Capela for Covington? I agree with this move. I feel it improves the Rockets today and gives them a chance that they didn’t have before the deal. But tossing in yet another first-round pick for the opportunity to unload Nene’s and Green’s expiring contracts? Really?
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It should absolutely alarm you the degree to which Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has given away valuable pieces to get what he wants. The Rockets have created FIVE first-round draft pick debts (three first-rounders and two first-round swaps) that extend out the next six and a half years, not to mention cleaning out the entire cupboard of second-round picks. The Rockets right now are basically that one college kid that opens and maxes out as many credit cards as the system will allow and likes the idea of making the minimum payment each month.
Wouldn’t the Rockets have just been better off using a fraction of these future assets along with, say, Brandon Knight’s contract, to acquire Covington outright and put him alongside Paul and Capela? I mean, what do I know.
The fact that Daryl Morey’s voice, when it comes to personnel and trades, does not appear to be the loudest in the room terrifies me right now. The Rockets better win a title out of this experiment because I can assure you, there will be some lean years in the near future.
Conclusion
The Rockets are so deeply in debt that the 2020 first-round pick isn’t that big of a deal — it’s at least the one draft pick they’ve traded where they can get an accurate feel for where it will be. It’s just a shame that the Rockets couldn’t execute this trade without it, then use it to acquire another piece in a separate deal.
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The team has two open roster spots and will aggressively enter the buyout market seeking a forward or center that gives them some size. Tristan Thompson would make a lot of sense, if the Cavs do pursue a buyout. They still need more help.
But the Smallball Revolution is here and the Rockets, as they did with the Threeball Revolution, are leading the charge. While everybody is laughing at Houston’s inability to match up with the size of the likes of the Lakers and Bucks, and it may prove justified, the Rockets are looking at it in a different way:
Can those teams match up with our shooting and speed?
Armed with a bizarre fascination for Mario Elie and a deep love of the Houston Rockets, Dave Hardisty started ClutchFans in 1996 under the pen name “Clutch”.
In this roundtable conversation, ClutchFans Editor Dave Hardisty joins Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves to preview the NBA’s upcoming transaction window and its potential implications for the 16-7 Houston Rockets.
December 15 is when players who signed contracts in the preceding offseason become trade eligible, so the period from Monday until the in-season deadline of February 5, 2026, is likely to be among the most active on the 2025-26 calendar.
Discussion topics include roster needs and potential trade targets across the board, including the likelihood of bigger-name deals (such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and James Harden) and smaller acquisitions along the lines of Keon Ellis, Chris Paul, and Ayo Dosunmu.
The show also explores Houston’s potential desirability on the buyout market and the team’s long-term timeline for title contention, and specifically why those factors might make this a relatively quiet trade window for the Rockets.
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Editor’s note: Hardisty and DuBose also host regular “ClutchFans Live” postgame recap shows on YouTube, while DuBose and Alves are co-hosts of the Rockets LaunchPod podcast, presented by ClutchFans and with support from SportsTalk 790 — official flagship radio station of the Rockets. Tune in to both shows for more coverage!
At 15-6, the Rockets are currently tied for the second-fewest losses in the Western Conference standings, and they own the NBA’s No. 2 net rating.
And yet, just two years ago, Houston was coming off three straight rebuilding seasons with the worst record in the West.
It’s been a remarkable rise under the guidance of general manager Rafael Stone, who has combined the development of young players such as Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard with the acquisition of impact veterans — namely, Kevin Durant, Steven Adams, and the injured Fred VanVleet.
Making matters even better, the Rockets added and developed all that talent while still retaining several high-end future draft assets, to boot. Houston believes that draft equity can make it a sustainable contender for years to come, both in terms of having desirable trade assets and an ability to replenish its roster depth in cost-efficient ways.
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With the 2025-26 regular season now at approximately its quarter pole, The Athletic recently canvassed 36 executives across the league — presidents, general managers, vice presidents, and assistant GMs — to rank the NBA’s top front offices.
Led by Stone, the Rockets’ front office comes in at No. 3, trailing only the last two champions — the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.
“High-end talent, a willingness to be bold, (and) good asset management,” one executive told The Athletic, when asked to sum up the Rockets.
Time for our annual crowdsourcing to determine the NBA's top front offices – ranked by the NBA's front offices. We found 36 team executives to give us their picks of the best ones right now, and their pick of one FO that is up and coming. In @TheAthletic:https://t.co/9QRrkK8R0b
Houston finished with one first-place vote; six second- and third-place votes, apiece; five fourth-place votes; and three fifth-place votes.
“They have drafted well, built a deep team in a tough Western Conference while managing tax aprons,” said one executive who voted the Rockets second. “(They) hired a good coach (Ime Udoka) and built an overall team identity, then added KD for cheap. From where they were only a few years ago, they have done a good job turning it around.”
Per Sam Amick of The Athletic, Stone “values this young core greatly and has frequently resisted the temptation to reach for overpriced roster shortcuts.” Udoka has an “influential voice” with the front office, as well, Amick adds.
Amick notes that the Durant trade came at a relatively low asset cost, adding that the Rockets are uninterested in pursuing a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for disgruntled star Ja Morant.
The Athletic’s complete front-office rankings can be viewed here. This time a year ago, in the same exercise, Houston finished in a tie for the No. 11 spot.
After their Emirates NBA Cup 2025 elimination, the Rockets (12-4) learned two additional December dates for their 2025-26 regular season.
As announced Saturday by the league office, the Los Angeles Clippers (5-14) will visit Houston on Thursday, Dec. 11. Tipoff at Toyota Center will be at 7:00 p.m. Central.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (12-4) will then head to Denver on Monday, Dec. 15, where tipoff versus the Nuggets (13-5) is at 8:30 p.m. Central.
During Cup games, all three of the Clippers, Nuggets, and Rockets went 2-2 in Western Conference group-stage play. Because only four teams out of the 15 in each conference advance to the knockout rounds, a 2-2 record in group games isn’t usually enough to finish among the top four, and that was again the case this year.
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To ensure that all teams play 82 regular-season games, teams who don’t advance then have two additional December games scheduled versus same-conference opponents who also did not advance.
In most cases, these add-on matchups come down to a formula. Taking Houston as an example, each season’s schedule includes two games (one home, one away) versus all East opponents and four games (two home, two away) versus most West opponents.
However, if that was the case for all same-conference opponents, the schedule would be at 86 games in length. So, there is a select group — rotating each year — of same-conference opponents on the docket only three times.
To trim down to 80 games (to account for the possibility of Cup advancement), the six West teams with only three dates on Houston’s initial 2025-26 schedule were the Clippers, Nuggets, Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Add-on games are typically chosen from that group, and the Thunder and Lakers advanced in Cup play, thus taking them off the table. So, it came down to two teams from the other four.
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Led by James Harden, the reeling Clippers have yet to play Houston this season, though they will meet again on Dec. 23 in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets enjoyed a close Nov. 21 victory in Houston. For the Rockets, Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun each struggled in that game.
Now, less than a month later — in a matchup that could prove pivotal in the West standings race — Durant and Sengun (assuming health) will get an opportunity to make amends.
Denver and Houston are currently tied for the No. 3 spot in the West (trailing the Thunder and Lakers), though the Rockets are technically ahead by percentage points due to playing two fewer games. Thus, that Dec. 15 rematch could have significant stakes for both sides.
Relative to their expected formula from the 2025 offseason, the Rockets were missing five rotation players in Wednesday’s Thanksgiving Eve playoff rematch versus the Warriors.
Kevin Durant (personal reasons), Steven Adams (right ankle tendinopathy), and Tari Eason (right oblique strain) were all sidelined, and veterans Fred VanVleet (right knee) and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle) remain on the shelf after offseason surgeries.
Yet, the Rockets (12-4) still won for a 12th time in 14 games, and they overcame a 14-point road deficit against a high-profile Golden State squad featuring the likes of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green.
The biggest reason was second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who set career-highs in points (31) and rebounds (9) while making 12-of-25 shots (48.0%), including four 3-pointers.
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“He was big,” said head coach Ime Udoka, whose Rockets won despite shooting below 40% overall and 30% from 3-point range. “Reed really held us together when guys were struggling.”
For the season, Sheppard — a starter for Udoka over the past two games — is averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 24.9 minutes per game. He’s shooting 48.8% overall and 45.5% on 3-pointers, with the latter figure coming in at No. 11 among hundreds of qualified NBA players.
But the advanced metrics are even more impressive. Per Basketball Reference, here’s where Sheppard ranks among his NBA peers in several impact categories:
The only players with a superior BPM are a quartet of annual Most Valuable Player (MVP) frontrunners in Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. At the moment, Sheppard is the league’s highest-rated American player!
To say the least, those are remarkable efficiency metrics for a 21-year-old in his second NBA season. And it’s not as if Sheppard is posting those in low-leverage minutes, as evidenced by the key plays he made in the fourth quarter to help put the Warriors away.
“Defensively is where he’s shown the most improvement, overall,” Udoka said from San Francisco. “I think he’s taking on the challenge. The blow-bys are getting less and less. He’s catching up with the physicality of the game. Teams are going to try to attack him, at times, but like we said last year and during this summer, make them go east and west and stay in front of them. Help will come. He’s doing a great job of that.”
Sixteen games in, it’s no longer a particularly small sample. Rounding, it’s actually 20% of the 82-game regular season!
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Assuming relative health, the 2025-26 Rockets had a high floor entering the season due to the All-Star presence of Durant and Alperen Sengun. But whether they could achieve a championship ceiling likely depended on further leaps from young players — most notably, the high-upside ones like Sheppard and Amen Thompson.
With Durant out, Thompson was the headliner in Monday’s road victory in Phoenix, and Sheppard stole the show two nights later at Golden State.
For everyone surrounding the organization, it’s an appropriate time to be thankful. With these leaps being shown from players who are extremely young and still improving, the Rockets appear set up to be a force in the Western Conference for quite some time.
“It’s going to be exciting when we get fully healthy and whole,” Udoka surmised.
Entering Thanksgiving week, all 30 teams have at least one of their four group-stage games remaining in Emirates NBA Cup 2025 action. Some have two.
But for the Houston Rockets (10-4 on the 2025-26 regular season, 1-2 in Cup play), elimination appears almost inevitable after Friday’s group-stage loss to the Denver Nuggets.
To explain why, let’s look at the Cup standings entering the week:
After their winning their group in the 2024 NBA Cup, the Rockets have already lost the possibility of doing so in 2025. Even if the Rockets win their group-stage finale at Golden State on Wednesday night, Houston’s best-case outcome is a 2-2 mark.
The only way 2-2 would be tied for the Group C lead is if Portland loses at home to San Antonio on Wednesday, followed by the Spurs winning at Denver two nights later. Without that combination of results, at least one of the Trail Blazers and Nuggets would have three group-stage wins, which inherently eliminates Houston.
But even if that unlikely 2-2 scenario somehow played out, the Rockets would be 1-2 against the other three teams in that 2-2 tie. The Spurs and Nuggets would each be 2-1, thus eliminating Houston as a potential group winner.
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So, Group C is off the table.
Mathematically, the Rockets do remain alive for the wild-card slot, which goes to the top second-place finisher in each conference. For example, if this week’s games go according to the Vegas odds, it’s quite possible that the Spurs could defeat Portland but lose to Denver, creating a three-way tie between the Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Spurs at 2-2. Since each team would be 1-1 against the other two, head-to-head, it would come down to point differential — and Houston is well ahead of Portland (-18) and currently tied with San Antonio (+10) there.
Should Houston win that tiebreaker, the Rockets would finish second in in Group C. But looking at the remainder of the West, it’s unlikely for that to be enough to earn the wild card.
For starters, if any second-place team in Group A or Group B gets to three wins, the Rockets are automatically eliminated. Last season, both wild-card teams went 3-1 in group play.
But even if 2-2 somehow becomes enough for a tie, the point differential of the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1, +53) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2-0, +63) will be difficult to overcome. At the moment, those teams — who play each other on Wednesday — are 43 and 53 points ahead of the Rockets, respectively.
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So, in order for Houston’s 2-2 mark to somehow be enough to advance, the Rockets would need to make up at least 43 combined points between the final margin of their road game against the Warriors and the remaining group games for the Timberwolves and Thunder.
To say the least, that’s a tall order.
As a result, while not mathematically eliminated just yet, the odds are overwhelmingly against the Rockets advancing to the eight-team knockout phase.
There could, however, be some consolation. Should the Rockets improbably advance to the knockout rounds as a wild card, they would play on the road in the quarterfinal round. From there, should they win, their next game would be in Las Vegas for a neutral-site semifinal.
On the other hand, if the Rockets are eliminated, they would have two games added to their schedule versus West rivals who they are currently slated to play only three times (and not the usual four for most same-conference teams). These add-on games, which would be played during the week of Dec. 9-16, allow all teams to finish at 82 regular-season games in the final 2025-26 standings — i.e. the same as those who gain additional games from advancing to the knockout rounds. The Cup title game does not count toward regular-season standings.
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For the Rockets, in contrast to the wild-card scenario, it’s worth noting that one of those two add-on games would be at home, inside Toyota Center.
The possible opponent pool consists of the Thunder, Warriors, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers — and since these would be non-Cup matchups, it would have to be opponents who were also eliminated in group-stage play.
Breaking down that group of six, the home matchup would likely come against a team that is currently on the books for only one appearance in Houston this season. Based on the current schedule, that’s the Warriors, Nuggets, and Thunder.
Conversely, the other three teams — the Lakers, Clippers, and Timberwolves — are only scheduled to get one visit from Houston this season. So, those would likely be the three in the mix for Houston’s add-on road game.
Since the Warriors are almost certain to be eliminated after the Cup’s group stage — and the Nuggets and Thunder are likely to advance to the knockout rounds — the odds would suggest that Golden State becomes Houston’s additional home game in December.
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For the add-on road game, the Timberwolves and the loser of Tuesday’s Lakers-Clippers Cup showdown — both Los Angeles teams are 2-0 in Group B, at the moment — would seem to be the strongest candidates.
So, relative to advancing in Cup play, being eliminated would give the Rockets one additional home game. Furthermore, if the add-on games become the Warriors and Clippers, both of those teams are currently at .500 or below this season. As a result, it’s probably to Houston’s scheduling interest for the Clippers to lose on Tuesday night, though it could be argued that the looming return of Kawhi Leonard makes them more of a threat.
Conversely, should Houston somehow advance, any knockout-round opponent would likely be a stronger team. After all, there’s probably a good reason why that team advanced.
It’s a small silver lining, but it’s not nothing. By not advancing in Cup play, the Rockets are likely to get one more home game at Toyota Center — and it’s likely to be a fun one versus Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and the hated Warriors.
For the Rockets and other teams across the league, those Dec. 9-16 matchups, dates, and times will be announced after the Nov. 28 conclusion of all group-stage games (schedule).
