The NBA Trade rumors continue as teams will evaluate whether they should plan for the present or the future.
The Houston Rockets need to face the crossroads this season. With their horrific start that led to the ouster of coach Kevin McHale, do they really have a shot at the title this year, or should they look towards the future?
This is one question on the minds of Houston fans as they discussed on Reddit the trade value they can get from center Dwight Howard, who recently turned 30. User 'notsellingjeans' aired his observation.
"If Houston doesn't turn it around soon, they may decide it's a 'him or me' situation with Dwight and Harden, which is reportedly part of the problem already. So, obviously Houston picks Harden over Howard - he's younger, healthier, better contract, better player."
He continues: "But you ideally don't want to send Howard to a Western Conf team that's also vying for one of those tough playoff spots. So then our list is Eastern Conference playoff contenders that might need rim protection badly enough to offset the bad things Dwight brings."
Despite being 30, Howard is not a slowpoke and can still run on an offense like the Atlanta Hawks. He may be the piece that the Hawks need to get from good to elite. They are always busy until April or early May, but fall short of the prize.
In the Houston Rockets Real GM forum, trading Howard for a package based on point guard Jeff Teague and Tiago Splitter would be a good step for the future. They still have a strong rotation at the center spot with Splitter and Clint Capela while they finally solve their point guard problem with All-Star Jeff Teague.
For the Hawks, adding an elite rim protector may be the best boost for Paul Millsap and Al Horford. They need to convince Horford to stay beyond this season so they need to make an auspicious move that could shake off their reputation as an outstanding regular season team to a legitimate contender.