NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on Victor Oladipo, Jaylen Brown and More
The Houston Rockets were not simply trying to acquire future value in the James Harden blockbuster.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Rockets are flipping Caris LeVert—acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in the three-team deal—in exchange for Indiana Pacers combo guard Victor Oladipo.
The former All-NBA guard is looking a bit stronger than he did during the NBA restart as he feels his way back from the ruptured quad he suffered in January 2019. Houston will be hoping its new backcourt of Oladipo and John Wall, in addition to budding center Christian Wood, can help the Rockets make the playoffs.
But does Oladipo want to be in Houston? Here are the latest rumors on the Rockets' newest acquisition, in addition to Houston's Harden demands from the Boston Celtics and Wall's friction with The Beard prior to Wednesday's blockbuster.
Oladipo Angling for Miami Move
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Oladipo comes to Houston under interesting circumstances.
The 28-year-old was surrounded by trade speculation early in the offseason amid rumors he wanted out of Indiana. The Pacers kept their former cornerstone to start the 2020-21 season but saw an opportunity to add a young talent in LeVert while also getting out of Oladipo's contract.
Suddenly, Oladipo has gone from an upstart Pacers team to a Rockets outfit yet to establish an identity after trading away one of the best players in franchise history in Harden. Will Oladipo want to stay?
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported Oladipo does not want to be in Houston and would like to find himself playing for the Miami Heat.
He was a rumored target for Miami, but ESPN's Zach Lowe reported in November the Heat were backing away. Perhaps team president Pat Riley will get aggressive after Brooklyn's acquisition of Harden, but that remains to be seen.
Houston would probably prefer Oladipo to showcase his All-Star form for the Rockets. He is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting over 36 percent from beyond the arc and has shown flashes of playmaking resembling the guy who was named All-NBA in 2018.
Then again, the Rockets could flip him if they are not confident in their ability to extend him. Oladipo will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Rockets Wanted Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart from Celtics
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The Rockets put forth an enormous ask during Harden trade talks with the Boston Celtics.
Brian Robb of the Boston Sports Journal reported Houston wanted Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and draft compensation as part of a package for Harden. Quite the demand considering Smart is an All-Defensive talent and Brown is playing like an All-Star.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said Thursday during an appearance on 98.5 Boston that he did not feel comfortable giving up that much value in an effort to acquire Harden.
"We had numerous talks, but the price really wasn't changing," Ainge said on Toucher and Rich. "The price was really high for us, and it was something we really didn't want to do. ... I think unanimously, we decided it wasn't time for us and it wasn't the price."
It seems perfectly reasonable for Ainge to push back on trading away both Smart and Brown. In fact, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported that the C's had no interest in any deal including Brown (h/t NBC Sports Boston).
The 24-year-old is averaging 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists through his first 10 games, shooting 53.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc. He has morphed into an elite shot-creator and playmaker, something Boston desperately needed following the departure of Gordon Hayward and early-season injuries to Kemba Walker.
Meanwhile, Smart remains one of the grittiest players in the NBA and a key cog in Boston's team defense. He also leads all Celtics players with 6.4 assists per game.
Ainge and the Celtics felt the present and future value of both Brown and Smart surpassed what Harden might have given them.
John Wall Resented James Harden
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James Harden's standoffish behavior rubbed a lot of his former Rockets teammates the wrong way, especially John Wall.
Kevin O'Connor reported Wall was one of the players most "disgruntled" with Harden's attitude, adding there was some "animosity" between the two early in the year. According to O'Connor, Wall believes he can still be a franchise player and felt that Harden was becoming a deterrent in terms of both individual and team success.
This has been a bit of a trend for Wall the past few months. Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported Wall was frustrated with the Washington Wizards' declaration that Bradley Beal was the face of the franchise a few days before Wall was traded to the Rockets.
Granted, the situation in Houston was vastly different. Harden openly campaigned for a trade and appeared disinterested during games. Harden said Tuesday that the Rockets were "just not good enough," per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Wall responded by suggesting Harden was making things difficult by not buying in.
Well, Harden is gone, and Wall should have every opportunity to orchestrate the offense. The five-time All-Star is averaging 18.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds through his first seven games with the franchise.
The former No. 1 pick has displayed some of his old explosiveness, attacking the rim and making dynamic plays as a help defender. Perhaps he will be even more prolific playing on the ball more and running steady pick-and-roll sets with Christian Wood.
Regardless, Wall appears to be the guy for the Rockets—almost by necessity.
All stats obtained via Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
