NBA Trade Rumors: Are the Houston Rockets Targeting Anthony Randolph?

To put it bluntly, this offseason has been a bit of a disappointment at nearly every turn for Rockets fans.

First, the Rockets and their iPad-wielding general manager extraordinaire Daryl Morey courted the über power forward Chris Bosh before being topped by the Heat, who could promise him a little more than iPads and Yao Ming.

While the Rockets re-signed fan-favorites Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry, the deals were slightly larger than anticipated, pushed the Rockets far into the luxury tax, and precipitated a deal which saw intriguing forward Trevor Ariza sent away for Courtney Lee, a solid if unspectacular wing-defender. While the deal probably was the right move, many fans nonetheless balked at giving up on Ariza after just one year into the five-year deal he had signed. 

Finally, after all of the unfortunate and ill-fated courtships of the offseason, the Rockets found themselves in the thick of the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes at the beginning of the process. However, whether or not the proposed four-way deal with the Nets goes through, it is clear that the Rockets are, at best, an afterthought in the discussions as they are not making Kevin Martin available and their interest appears to be waning. 

However, all of this talk of the Rockets targeting a star player reminds us that Daryl Morey will never stop looking to find the "next great player" for the Rockets.

He, like many fans and analysts alike, is aware that without change the Rockets are unlikely to compete for anything more than a brief playoff appearance as they lack the true star player that all great teams have. Yao Ming can be that guy, but given his injury history, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Rockets are trying all they can to lean on him as little as possible.

So, if Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh isn't going to be the Rockets' next great player, who is? With their pursuits of the two great stars rebuffed, the Rockets are reportedly willing to give up a first-rounder and have interest in Anthony Randolph. Here is a brief excerpt from the story from the New York Daily News: 

"The Knicks conceivably can trade a player for a first-round pick, and there is some interest around the league for Anthony Randolph, the third-year forward who came to New York in the David Lee sign-and-trade with Golden State. According to a source, the Rockets would consider trading a first-round pick for Randolph.

Walsh and Mike D'Antoni can't say enough good things about the 6-11 Randolph, so much so that it appears as if they are trying to increase the versatile player's trade value via the media."

While the mention of the Rockets is brief, it nonetheless certainly confirms what Rockets fans have been thinking for years as the Rockets have repeatedly shown interest in the unique forward's game. Following the trend of chasing players for years before finally acquiring them (Kyle Lowry, Courtney Lee), is Anthony Randolph next?

If the Rockets could truly get him for one of the Knicks' first-rounders, they would have to pull the trigger on the deal. However, the caveat in this deal would be that in returning the first-round pick to the Knicks, they could enable the Knicks to acquire another star player, be it Carmelo Anthony or Chris Paul, and potentially hurting the value of the other Knicks pick (the Rockets hold the Knicks' 2012 pick and have the higher of the Rockets' or Knicks' picks in 2011).

If the Knicks acquire Paul or Anthony, they could catapult towards the upper half of the Eastern Conference in some time and turn what could be a lottery pick into a late first-rounder.

For this reason, if the Rockets are intent on acquiring Randolph and the Knicks don't accept an offer of merely one first-rounder (they likely will not for a player of Randolph's caliber), it might make sense to include the second pick as sweetener to complete the deal.

It's unlikely that any team, even the Knicks, would give up Randolph for one first-round pick so if it only requires losing another late first-rounder, the Rockets would certainly have to consider it. 

And if they did, they would be getting a tremendous player with outrageous upside. Randolph has the potential to be a Marcus Camby-esque game-changer on the defensive end, has a developing offensive game, and can jump as well as anyone in the league. He'd be an absolutely tailor-made defensive partner for Yao Ming because he has the ability to recover from the weak side and block shots (an area that Yao struggles in) and could guard faster big men.

Offensively, his lack of a consistent jumper would make him a less than ideal fit with Yao as he only made 32 percent of jumpers from mid-range last year (according to hoopdata.com), however, his game is still emerging as he has only played 96 NBA games in his entire career. If he could develop that outside game, he could be one of the league's more effective two-way players and certainly would be worth the picks. 

As Morey realizes that he is not likely going to be willing to give up the assets needed to acquire Anthony or Paul (he probably has already realized this), he will next attempt to grow a star himself. He has not balked in facilitating deals in the past if it helps the team (he tried to help facilitate a Chris Bosh sign-and-trade after he realized Bosh was not coming to Houston and he helped appease Chris Paul by facilitating a Collison trade), and this trade could simply be the next deal.

Even if it allows the Knicks to get a star player, if he is not going to get Anthony and can get a good young player for a reasonable price, he's going to do it.