Rockets Pull Blockbuster with Kings, Knicks Possibly Involved As Well

In a night dominated by McGrady-to-the-Knicks rumors, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey kept his cards close to his chest and unveiled a blockbuster deal sending Tracy McGrady and Carl Landry to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Kevin Martin.

The full deal will consist of sending Kevin Martin, Kenny Thomas, Hilton Armstrong, and Sergio Rodriguez to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The Knicks are still in play for McGrady, as the Kings have no intention to keep him for the remainder of the season.

The deal would likely be expanded to a three way, but discussions still have a long way to go. Ultimately, the Rockets and Kings do not necessarily need to involve the Knicks, as the deal between both the Rockets and Kings has been agreed upon.

If the Kings were unable to exchange McGrady, sources point towards the Kings buying him out, in which Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reports McGrady secretly covets joining either the Cavaliers or the Lakers in the hopes of a title run.

It's still yet to be seen if either team would have interest.

Kevin Martin, who was pulled at halftime of tonight's game against the Golden State Warriors, briefly commented on the trade. 

"I appreciate them letting me go to a playoff caliber team at this time of my career."

"I used to be the young guy playing with old guys. Now I'm the old guy playing with young guys. Let the young guys develop..."

The Rockets acquire an elite offensive player capable of playing both off and on the ball. His perimeter shooting and uncanny ability to get to the line should be welcome additions, especially since it means the reduction of Ariza's role in the offense.

But it comes with the price, as Rockets give up Landry, who has arguably been the Rockets' best offensive player this season, all while coming off the bench.

It sets up the Kings with a potentially terrific three man rotation in Hawes, Thompson, and Landry, with Tyreke leading the way as the main man in the backcourt.

The Rockets obviously had to make a decision on whom they'd rather keep, Scola or Landry, and all signs pointed towards Landry having more value in the open market, which is ultimately the deciding factor. That also means that the Rockets' primary goal in the offseason is being able to retain Scola for a reasonable price.

It's a hefty price for the Rockets to pay, especially for a player with injury history, the last thing Rocket fans want to hear, but it could potentially pay off, once again relying on the health of Yao Ming.

A Brooks/Martin/Ariza/Scola and Yao lineup would potentially challenge the Lakers in the West if healthy. Unfortunately, that has been the disclaimer ever since the beginning and end of the McGrady era.

The premise of the deal has been agreed upon, and the Rockets have been in the need of shakeup with their porous play as of late. This could potentially be a boost to lead to the Rockets to the playoffs.

But with Budinger, Martin, Battier, Ariza, and the likes of Lowry having played a lot of two guard this season, the perimeter game gets rather crowded. Could another deal be in the works? Or are the Rockets content with their big man rotation consisting of Kenny Thomas, Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and David Anderson?

Whatever's in store, the McGrady era is finally over, and despite the loss of Landry, Rocket fans have something to look forward to. And something tells me the Rockets aren't done just yet...