How Chase Budinger Trade Impacts Houston Rockets' Desire for Dwight Howard

After trading forward Chase Budinger for the 18th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets are one step closer to making a run at Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.

Now that they acquired Minnesota's first-round pick, the Rockets have the 14th, 16th and 18th picks in the draft, a nice gift basket they can offer along with some current Rockets.

Howard has made it perfectly clear that he has no intention of staying in Houston beyond 2013 if he gets traded there.

But that doesn't seem to bother the Rockets, who are willing to risk their future and rent the big man for a playoff run next spring.

Howard represents the opportunity to instantly compete at the top of the Western Conference. We all saw what he did with a relatively underwhelming supporting cast in Orlando in 2009, so Houston's crew could make a run for a title, too.

Having the three draft picks gives Houston the flexibility to only lose a couple of its current players in a trade with Orlando. General Manager Daryl Morey could deal a combination like Kevin Martin and Courtney Lee to the Magic along with the picks.

Samuel Dalembert and Martin are both unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2013, so they both could end up being part of the deal.

If new Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan likes the proposed deal and sends Howard to Houston, Kevin McHale and company will have a solid roster that includes a superstar.

Even without top scorer Kevin Martin, the Rockets would have plenty of punch in their backcourt and frontcourt to complement Howard. Goran Dragic would run the point (if Kyle Lowry gets traded to the Raptors), and Luis Scola would be a nice paint partner for Howard.

Those three centerpieces, along with Courtney Lee and Chandler Parsons manning the two and three spots, would make a solid lineup out west.

Trading Budinger to stockpile picks for a potential D12 deal is a calculated risk by Morey, but it looks like Houston is willing to do anything to bring a superstar to town.

We knew before today that the Rockets were interested in putting something together for the Magic, but today's Budinger trade launches them into the thick of the Howard sweepstakes.

Unloading their 2012 picks will significantly hurt their long-term rebuilding process, but landing Dwight Howard gives them a chance to be in the Western Conference mix immediately.