Houston Rockets
Why It Makes Sense for the Portland Trail Blazers:
Danuel House is exactly the type of 3-and-D player the Portland Trail Blazers need on their roster. He’s improved on the defensive end every season of his career and looked especially impressive as a key piece in the Rockets’ small-ball lineup. As a three-point shooter, House has the potential to be lights out which he showed during the 2018-2019 season where he shot over 41 percent from beyond the arc.
The biggest knock on House at the moment has to do with character. A breach of quarantine protocol at the bubble kept him sidelined for most of the Rockets’ second-round loss versus the Lakers.
While this is concerning, Damian Lillard is just the type of leader to set House on the right path. Look no further than how quickly Carmelo Anthony embraced the Portland Trail Blazers team culture after complaining about his role during previous stints with the Thunder and Rockets.
Why It Makes Sense for the Houston Rockets:
Houston is likely to want to move on from House after his detrimental quarantine violation so his asking price may be lower than it would be otherwise.
Nassir Little and Mario Hezonja are two former first-round picks who have the potential to fit well into the Rockets system. Neither are the best three-point shooters but both show plenty of promise on the defensive end and could with time develop into semi-reliable outside threats.
With their lack of picks for the foreseeable future thanks to the Chris Paul and the Russell Westbrook trades, any draft picks will be a huge help and a 2021 second-round pick is another opportunity to get players around their two stars on cheap deals.