NBA Rumors: Rockets Would Be Smart to Trade Kyle Lowry

The Houston Rockets have too many holes to continue to hold on to an excess of talent at point guard. 

When Kyle Lowry—who was on his way to a second straight career year—went down with an injury last season, the Rockets were treated to a pleasant surprise when Goran Dragic stepped in and played like an All-Star. 

Lowry eventually came back near the end of the season and the Rockets were left with the inevitable "um, now what?" moment. Lowry is 6'0" and Dragic is just 6'3". It's hard to play them at the same time, but they are both too talented not to start.

It only makes sense to move one of them for pieces, and according to HOOPSWORLD's Bill Ingram, it appears Lowry is going to be the one to move. 

In the chat, Ingram says that he is "hearing Lowry for the No. 8" pick in the upcoming draft. 

Regardless of who the Rockets get in return, Lowry is the right player to move. 

The five-year veteran out of Villanova, who is a threat for a triple-double every time he steps on the court, is a unique player at the point guard position. In just his second season as a full-time starter, Lowry compiled 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.7 three-pointers per game. 

The problem is, he's not very efficient. Lowry is a 42 percent shooter for his career and saw that number dip to 41 in 2012. He has improved his long-range shot dramatically over the last two years, but he still struggles to score with efficiency.

Goran Dragic, on the other hand, doesn't have that problem. During his 28 starts, the 26-year-old Yugoslavian averaged 18.0 points on 49 percent shooting to go 8.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. 

Some worry that Dragic, who is a free agent and will have to be signed to a fairly large contract, won't be able to repeat those starts, but his numbers per 40 minutes played have been similar throughout his entire career, and only saw a small uptick in 2012.

He's just never gotten that chance to shine. 

The Rockets must give Dragic, who is much more of a pure point guard than Lowry, the full-time chance to shine. He much more resembles the type of point guard championship contenders build around.

With Lowry, who has two relatively cheap years left on his contract, the Rockets can get a good return. They can get a draft pick that helps lure Dwight Howard. Or they can get a Dion Waiters or other scoring guard to replace Kevin Martin, who Kevin McHale has little trust in. Or they can draft a big man.

The point is, there are plenty of different ways a Lowry trade can help the rest of the team.

And when you are holding on to two budding point guards, that's the smart move to make. 

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