Lakers may be active in early-trade window

The Houston Rockets were on the market for a star at last year’s trade deadline and again in the offseason, but sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that is no longer the case and they want to keep their existing core in tact. The Rockets are highly unlikely to pursue a trade for Jimmy Butler, who has the team on his list of preferred destinations should the Miami Heat eventually decide to move him.

The Rockets are resistant to adding a player in their thirties to their young team, similar to the 2023 offseason when they pivoted away from James Harden.

Houston chose to make a major trade less likely in October when they signed Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun to extensions. The success the Rockets have had without making a major trade has emboldened their thinking that keeping their existing players and future draft picks is the sensible path. If the Rockets ever do make a major trade, the conventional widsom has been that it will be for a younger player.