NBA Free Agency Speculation: Could Dwight and Deron Still Team Up...in Houston?

Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey is nothing if not ambitious. A pioneer of statistical analysis in the NBA, Morey has never been afraid to take creative (if not drastic) measures to build a winner, as he nearly did last December when Pau Gasol was slated for H-Town as part of the original Chris Paul trade.

Trying to pull in two superstars of Dwight Howard and Deron Williams' caliber is another story entirely, a two-part coup of the sort that even Pat Riley would appreciate.

But, it appears as though that's exactly what Morey is now trying to do.

According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, the Rockets have sent Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the 18th-overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. Houston already owns the 14th and 16th selections and may well look to acquire more and/or better ones in the days to come, using Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin as trade bait.

The intent, it would seem, is to stockpile enough quality picks in an attempt to entice the Orlando Magic to part ways with their prized-but-indecisive center, whose relationships with the franchise and Diet Pepsi remain equally tenuous after a tumultuous 2011-12 season.

For Morey, such a move is particularly (and characteristically) risky, seeing as how it would come without any guarantee that Howard remains in Houston after the 2012-13 season.

Howard, though, has proven to be rather persuadable. As such, the Rockets may well have a plan in place to entice Dwight to stick around, using their past successes, recent close calls and honor roll of big-name big men (i.e. Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Yao Ming) as eye-openers.

Followed swiftly by further roster upgrades, which is where D-Will comes into the picture. The Rockets will be flush with cap space come July 1st, when free agency officially begins. They have just over $30 million committed toward next season's team and could clear even more room, depending on what they decide to do with Samuel Dalembert and Patrick Patterson, both of whom have team options for the fall.

Whatever the case may be, they may well have enough financial flexibility to send a max offer (and a personal postcard from Superman himself) to Williams and his agent, Dan Fegan.

Then again, as Amick notes in his report:

"

A source close to Nets point guard Deron Williams said Houston is not likely to be added to his free-agent wish list even if the Rockets get Howard. Williams is focused on the Nets or his hometown team in Dallas, though he is known to be open to joining the Lakers if they were able to pull off a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn.

"

Not that Morey should necessarily be deterred. There's no telling how Williams might actually react if the Rockets are, in fact, able to convince the Magic to relinquish Howard (which is questionable in itself, per Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld).

Nor is there any guarantee that Howard would be the only All-Star-caliber player in Houston, or that Williams is the only other star of that sort that the Rockets are currently targeting. ESPN's Chad Ford and Marc Stein mentioned on Tuesday that the Rockets might pursue Atlanta Hawks stud Josh Smith, who's made no secret of his desire to play elsewhere.

Smith, as it happens, is one of Howard's closest friends, dating back to their AAU days with the Atlanta Celtics.

Whether the high-flying swingman's presence would be enough to keep Howard in Houston remains to be seen, as does whether or not Superman actually lands in Texas.

But, if Morey manages to put Dwight in a Rockets uniform and follows that up by adding D-Will, J-Smoove or both to the equation, then Houston will likely be more than just a problem for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference. With three stars in the prime of their respective careers, the Rockets would have a Big Three capable of challenging any such collection in the NBA for basketball supremacy, that of the Miami Heat included. Even with "just" two of the three, the Rockets would no longer have to worry about barely missing the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

Of course, such speculation is a long way off. Before Morey's Rockets can walk back into the postseason or sprint their way into title contention, they'll first have to coax the Magic into finally bidding farewell to Howard.

And before Morey can do that, he'll have to scrounge up some more assets with which to do just that.

It's an ambitious idea, to be sure, one that could prove to be nothing more than hearsay gone wild on its way through the rumor mill.

But if there's any GM in the NBA today with the guts to pull it off, it's Daryl Morey.

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