Rockets Trade Rumors: P.J. Tucker, Danuel House Jr. Linked to Possible Deals

The Houston Rockets are receiving interest in swingman Danuel House Jr. and power forward P.J. Tucker, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

"P.J. Tucker, I have heard his name out there," Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast (via RealGM). "I've heard Danuel House's name. At least some teams doing some research on Danuel House, I don't know how available he is. I've heard some teams poking around on him, doing some background stuff."

Windhorst added that Houston is looking to get a first-round pick or three second-rounders in return for Tucker.

Speculation surrounding Tucker has been ongoing for months. He's in the final year of his contract, and The Athletic's Kelly Iko, Sam Amick, and Shams Charania reported in November that the 35-year-old had "been irate over his contract situation" all of last season.

The report said Tucker envisioned remaining with the Rockets to close out his career "for a long time but felt insulted by Houston's decision to delay extension discussions and wait until after the Feb. 6 trade deadline to guarantee his 2020-21 salary."

Although Tucker is averaging only 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds this season, he's shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. His defensive versatility would make him a fit on almost every contender.

House, meanwhile, is in the second year of his modest three-year, $11.2 million contract. He's averaging 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds through seven games this season, down from 10.5 and 4.2, respectively, in 2019-20. He's also shooting only 28 percent from three-point range.

The Rockets haven't cratered like many expected they would in the aftermath of the James Harden trade. They're 9-9 and 10th in the Western Conference, which would put them into the play-in tournament for the final two postseason berths.

Getting into the playoffs and likely losing in the first round may not be enough of an incentive to keep Houston from cashing in on Tucker, since the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency looms this summer.