Do the Rockets Hold the Key to the Lakers', Knicks' or Dwight Howard's Future?

The Houston Rockets are presently a middling NBA franchise with a roster filled with young talent and a legitimate if not probable shot at making the playoffs. They are coached by a Hall of Fame ex-player who came into this season with a career coaching record of 39-55 and hadn't run a team since the 2008-09 season (when the Timberwolves finished 20-43 under his direction).

The Rockets were devastated by the whole Chris Paul fiasco in which NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed an allegedly agreed-upon trade that would have sent Pau Gasol to the Rockets in exchange for a package of players and the Knicks' No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, which the Rockets obtained in a previous deal.  

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was said to be extremely upset by the commissioner’s power play as he apparently had planned to pair Pau Gasol with his brother, the 7’1", 265 lb. true center who led the Memphis Grizzlies to their first-ever playoff series win last season. When the deal for Pau fell through, the offer he made to brother Marc was destined to fail.

Make no mistake about it: Had the Rockets landed Pau Gasol from the Lakers in the controversial Chris Paul fiasco, Marc Gasol could have and would have been happy to work a sign-and-trade deal with the Grizzlies that would send him to Houston.

What ended up happening, however, is far different. Daryl Morey’s dream tandem of Pau and Marc Gasol turned into a returning Luis Scola at power forward and veteran journeyman center Samuel Dalembert at center. Not exactly a duo that will make Rockets fans forget Hakeem Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe, now, is it?

The good news for Rockets fans, however, is that Houston’s roster is filled with young talent like Patrick Patterson, Terrence Williams and Hasheem Thabeet, players with expiring contracts such as Goran Dragic and Courtney Lee, and quality veterans such as the aforementioned Martin and Scola.

There is more than a little excitement in the city of Houston for their Rockets, and with a few wise moves by Morey, this team could indeed return to glory in the near future. Right now it is the Houston Rockets who may hold the keys to this year’s NBA trade deadline and perhaps even to the crowning of this year’s NBA championship team.

The Rockets seem to be the ideal trading partners for a variety of teams with championship aspirations this season. The closer the trade deadline gets the more teams may be frantically trying to get a deal done with Houston.

Here is a look at the four biggest trades that could be made by the Houston Rockets before this season’s trade deadline:

The Houston Rockets Trade for Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers

Rockets Trade: Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry

Lakers Trade: Pau Gasol, Steve Blake, Devin Ebanks and the Mavs' No. 1 pick in 2012

As already mentioned, the Rockets were willing to trade a king’s ransom to land Gasol. Now that they are in playoff contention, they may be even more inclined to land a true star who could lead them to the playoffs. 

Trading away Kyle Lowry will be painful as he will turn just 26 this season, is having a career year and is under contract for a very reasonable sum through 2014. However, in the previous trade proposal for Gasol, the Rockets were offering Patrick Patterson and the first-round pick from the Knicks, as well as receiving no one but Gasol.

In the above trade proposal, they would keep Patterson and the Knicks' pick, while receiving the Mavs' No. 1 pick, a replacement veteran point guard in Steve Blake and a promising young small forward in Devin Ebanks. All of that should make losing Lowry much more palatable.

As for the Lakers, they may make this trade with the thought of quickly flipping Andrew Bynum and the newly acquired Kevin Martin to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard. But this would be a solid trade regardless of whether that pans out.

The Lakers would have one of the most balanced and talented starting five in basketball with Lowry, Martin, Bryant, Scola and Bynum. In Kyle Lowry, they would have their best point guard since Magic Johnson donned the purple and gold, and the extremely efficient Kevin Martin would be a perfect complement to Kobe Bryant on the wing.

It would even benefit the Black Mamba himself as it would allow Kobe to move to the small forward position, just as Michael Jordan did in his later years. Playing the 3 would prolong his career, give him the post-up opportunities he relishes and make him a more effective distributor, with the deadly accurate Martin and Lowry on the receiving end of his passes.

If this trade happens, expect the Rockets to indeed make this year's playoffs and to become a quality destination for free agents starting as soon as next season, and for the Lakers to win the Western Conference at worst and their 17th NBA championship at best.

The Houston Rockets Trade for Amare Stoudemire of the New York Knicks

Rockets Trade: Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Goran Dragic

Knicks Trade: Amare Stoudemire and Mike Bibby

The Knicks (Jeremy Lin excepted of course) are a mess, just a mess. The Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire pairing is not working whatsoever. There is talk that the Knicks would love to trade Amare and Tyson Chandler for Dwight Howard, but Orlando has expressed no public interest in such a deal. Enter the Rockets.

The Rockets need a marquee player, and Stoudemire definitely fits the bill. Pairing Amare with a point guard like Kyle Lowry could be a dynamite offensive combination. In the post, current starting center and defensive stalwart Samuel Dalembert should work to minimize Stoudemire’s defensive deficiencies.

As for the Knicks, this is a trade they would be foolish to pass up, especially if they have no chance at landing Howard. Luis Scola alone may be no Stoudemire, but he looks to be a better compliment to team captain and leader Carmelo Anthony. Kevin Martin would give the Knicks their best shooting guard since Allan Houston and a perfect complement to Carmelo Anthony on the wing.

Meanwhile, Goran Dragic is very familiar with Coach Mike D’Antoni’s system and is averaging over 16 points and nearly 7 assists per 40 minutes this season while shooting nearly 48 percent from the field, 83 percent from the charity stripe and having a 2.7 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Dragic would be a perfect backup to new sensation Jeremy Lin, considering Baron Davis is anything but dependable.

If this trade happens, expect the Rockets to be no worse than a No. 6 seed in this year’s playoffs and a tough out for anyone, and for the Knicks to make a strong push for an Atlantic Division title. The Knicks would be no worse than a 5 seed in this year's playoffs and set themselves up to be a serious title contender going forward.

The Houston Rockets Trade for Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics

Rockets Trade: Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry

Celtics Trade: Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo

The Celtics' title window has closed; in fact, it has slammed shut with ferocity. Make no mistake—the Celtics are still a legitimate playoff team, and once they get fully healthy and in sync, they should be able to scratch out a top six seed in the Eastern Conference.

However, all that will net them is a first round playoff exit, which is not what Boston fans and general manager Danny Ainge expect. Ainge tried to trade star point guard Rajon Rondo for Chris Paul earlier but was rebuffed by the Hornets. He is now said to be attempting to trade Paul Pierce.

Ainge is no dummy, and he knows the Celtics need an infusion of youth, talent and reasonably priced players if they want to compete with the Heat and Bulls in the foreseeable future.

Trading a wonderful young point guard in Rondo as well as a rapidly aging and extremely high paid team legend in Pierce must net a solid return, or Ainge will find himself on the hot seat faster than he ever thought possible.

Receiving a fantastic young point guard in Lowery, quality veteran power forward in Scola and a deadly efficient shooting guard in Martin is a very solid return on the Celtics' investment in Pierce and Rondo. It gives them a pair of relatively young guards to build around as well as a solid veteran in Scola, who they could package in another trade if they don’t like his lengthy contract.

As for the Rockets, they could do far worse than landing one of the top point guards in the league and a future Hall of Fame small forward who would feel as if he has something to prove after getting traded.

If this trade happens, expect the Rockets to be no worse than a No. 7 seed in this year’s playoffs and to attract a top free-agent shooting guard in the offseason like Wilson Chandler, since anyone would love to play with the pass-first Rondo.

As for the Celtics, they may not improve at all this year, but they would have some solid pieces to build around and—with a boatload of cash to spend this offseason—a very bright future.

The Houston Rockets Trade for Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic

Rockets Trade: Kevin Martin and Samuel Dalembert

Magic Trade: Dwight Howard

This trade proposal may shock many readers and even provoke an outcry from Orlando fans, who would be sickened by the prospect of losing the best center in the game for nothing more than Martin and Dalembert.

However, if the Magic continue to refuse to trade Dwight Howard, they will receive nothing at all in return. They'd watch Howard sign with the Nets or Mavs, just like when Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando with nothing when he signed with the Lakers in 1996.

As things stand now, it appears that Magic general manager Otis Smith and the rest of the Orlando front office are content to simply play out this season with Howard as their leader and then either re-sign Superman in the offseason or work a sign-and-trade with him that nets them a great package in return from, say, the Nets.

The problem with this plan is that it is completely unrealistic and little more than a pipe dream.

If Howard decides he wants to play for the Mavs next season, the Magic will be forced to either let Howard walk or. perhaps worse yet, accept a package such as the overpaid and declining Brendan Haywood and Shawn Marion. The Magic would do better to lose Howard for nothing than to take back the salaries of Haywood and Marion.

As for Orlando working a sign-and-trade deal with the Nets to land a solid young center like Brook Lopez and a dynamic young shooting guard like Marshon Brooks, that is completely ridiculous. Why on earth would Dwight Howard agree to a sign-and-trade deal that will deplete the team he is joining?

Dwight is no fool—he wants to win, and win now.

He knows that if he signs with the Nets to join Deron Williams, they will also be able to draft a young star like Anthony Davis or Harrison Barnes. Also, Brook Lopez could move to the power forward position and play alongside Howard in a modern Twin Towers scenario, like when Nets coach Avery Johnson won a title playing with the duo of David Robinson and Tim Duncan in San Antonio.

The Orlando brass needs to understand that if they are going to get anything decent in return for Dwight Howard, they need to do so before this year’s trade deadline—not next year when he will be able to sign with whoever he wants.

Orlando also needs to understand that Howard is truly only interested in being traded to the Nets, Mavs, or Lakers. It's even been reported that Howard is lukewarm on the Lakers. So the Magic may be left trying to receive the best package possible from a different team, which would essentially be renting Howard for just half a season.

The Lakers certainly wouldn't trade Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol—let alone the pair—just to get Howard for a few months. A team like the Warriors or the Bulls might be willing, but their offers would be even worse than letting Howard walk. The Magic would be financially strapped for years to come if they got stuck with Carlos Boozer or even David Lee and Andris Biedrins.

Thus, the Rockets are perhaps the only team in the team who could give the Magic a solid return for a half-season rental of their Superman.

The Rockets could easily offer the Magic former All-Star shooting guard Kevin Martin, who is still in the prime of his career, along with the defensive stalwart center Samuel Dalembert, who has always expressed a desire to play in the state of Florida as it’s close to his homeland of Haiti.

Such a package may not completely replace Howard, especially in the popularity department, but it should keep the Magic in line for a playoff berth and actually make them a deeper team as well. Not a bad exchange for a player who doesn’t want to play for the Magic anymore anyway.

As for why the Rockets would offer such an enticing package for a half-season of Dwight Howard, two words immediately come to mind: cap flexibility.

If the Rockets are able to shed the salaries of Martin and Dalembert and Howard won’t sign an extension with them, they would have a solid core group of young players, budding star Kyle Lowry and $34 million dollars to spend in free agency.

With that amount of cap space, they might be able to sign their own young star center, like restricted free agent Roy Hibbert, or a future star shooting guard, like Wilson Chandler. The Rockets could even sign free agent Kevin Garnett, who is a friend and fan of current Rockets and former Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale.

Whatever happens come trade deadline time, the Houston Rockets are in position to be a team that could have a major impact on the here and now, as well as being a team that could begin to establish themselves as serious title contenders for years to come.