Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are reportedly eyeing a veteran swingman ahead of next month's NBA trade deadline.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Rockets "have a level of interest in" Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes "in their quest to add shooting."

Barnes has started all 39 games for the 23-16 Kings, averaging 10.8 points while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three-point range. His scoring average is his lowest since the 2014-15 season, his third year in the NBA.

Despite the Rockets' interest in the 31-year-old, there's a likelihood that they don't have the type of player the Kings are seeking in return for trading him. Stein explained that Sacramento is hoping to acquire a star before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

"The Kings, though, are openly trying to use Barnes' deal (this is Year 1 of a three-year, $54 million extension) as the centerpiece of a trade package for a big-swing acquisition," Stein wrote. "Barnes' contract, for example, has been central to Sacramento's discussions with [the Toronto Raptors] about a possible Pascal Siakam swap."

The Rockets rank 11th in the Western Conference with a 19-20 record. Houston has a young core led by former top-three draft picks Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. along with promising young center Alperen Sengun, who leads the team with 21.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Veteran point guard Fred Van Vleet has performed well in his first year with the team, averaging 17.1 points and 8.5 assists.

Adding Barnes would give the Rockets another player with championship experience who can help aid the development of the young group.

Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks had his night cut short against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported that Brooks had been declared out of the game with a right abdominal oblique strain.

He logged 22 minutes in the game, scoring nine points with a single assist, rebound and block. He notably had scored a layup in the game and stood over Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton before suffering the injury.

Brooks is averaging 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 27 games for the Rockets. He joined the team this Summer in free agency and has helped Houston get out to a 15-12 start to the season.

Antics like standing over Haliburton were a staple of Brooks' six-season tenure in Memphis, and this agitating play style could pay dividends for a Rockets team looking to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2020.

Houston currently sit in eighth place in the Western Conference.

The outbursts by Ime Udoka and Dillon Brooks during the Houston Rockets' 128-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday came at a financial cost to both men.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced Brooks has been fined $35,000 for directing inappropriate language toward an official and publicly criticizing the officiating. Udoka has been docked $25,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a game official.

The situation occurred when Brooks was unhappy about not receiving a foul call when Khris Middleton made contact with him trying to go for a loose ball.

Brooks and Udoka were assessed two consecutive technical fouls for their actions on the court.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Brooks vented about his frustration with the call:

"I'm sick of refs being right in front of the play and not making calls. And then compiling it with a bailout call like a flop or something. I ran full speed to get the ball after I made a great play on trying to get a steal.

"Two hands are on me and then after that I'm throwing the ball and trying to protect myself from not falling into the fans or the bottom of the floor -- I know a guy got injured like that, done for the season. I'm trying to protect myself and then he wants to call a flop with a minute left, it doesn't make sense. ... It's unacceptable for me and that ref shouldn't even be reffing our games, for real."

Udoka's frustration stemmed from an incident earlier in the game when Brooks drew an offensive foul for elbowing Pat Connaughton, but a similar situation occurred in the first quarter when Brook Lopez wasn't whistled for appearing to hit Fred VanVleet with an elbow.

In the post-game pool report with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, crew chief Bill Kennedy said Brooks was assessed his first technical foul for "for disrespecting a game official using profanity."

The Rockets' loss snapped their five-game winning streak and dropped their record to 2-9 on the road. They added another road loss to their resume on Monday with a 135-130 defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brooks scored 18 points in 35 minutes prior to being ejected. Udoka was ejected from a game for the second time this season. His first one occurred on Dec. 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers when he engaged in an on-court verbal spat with LeBron James.

The Houston Rockets have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2023-24 season, putting up a 13-11 record that has them currently in ninth place in the Western Conference.

The team's young talent was supplemented by the signings of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks this summer, but general manager Rafael Stone told The Athletic's Kelly Iko Tuesday that the team wasn't necessarily hunting for further potential upgrades on the trade market:

By no means, this year at least, are we aggressively hunting a particular deal or series of deals. Having said that, it's kind of my job to talk to everybody and to hear what other teams are trying to do and see if there are things that make sense for both parties. And we'll make sure we make every phone call and run out every ground ball. At least right now, we need a better sense of exactly where our team is before we start thinking, 'Oh, we need to add this.' We'll have a better sense, honestly, a game from now, right? Like every game gives us critical information. I think it's too early to predict how active we will or will not be at the trade deadline or in the days in between. But we are not feeling any need to do something per se. We like where this group is and mostly we want there to be internal improvement.

The Rockets have been a balanced bunch this season, led by Alperen Şengün (19.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 5.3 APG). All five starters—Şengün, Jalen Green (17.5 PPG), VanVleet (17.1 PPG, 8.8 APG), Brooks (14 PPG) and Jabari Smith Jr. (12.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG)—are averaging double-digit points.

The team's blend of youth and experience has gelled well. Six players are 22 years old or younger, and amongst that group, only 19-year-old Cam Whitmore hasn't played a major role for the Rockets thus far, spending the majority of his time in the G League.

Fellow 2023 first-round selection Amen Thompson has only played in five games himself, but that has largely come down to absences from injuries and illness.

"Amen just needs to get on the court," Stone told Iko. "He sprained his ankle, missed a bunch of time, came back, got sick, and is still trying to get over that. He just needs reps on the court. We're super excited about him—every minute he's played, whether in practice or games has just added to our excitement. But ultimately we're just gonna have to see how he does on the court once he can consistently be available."

Perhaps the only disappointment has been Green, who has seen his scoring, shooting percentage (40.2 percent), three-point percentage (33.1 percent) and playmaking (3.2 APG) decrease from a year ago. It's also easy to forget he's only 21 years old, still far from his prime, and adjusting to a roster that had plenty of turnover in the offseason.

"I know Jalen is not happy with where he is offensively and we want him to be better and more efficient too," Stone said. "But I would say that it would not be accurate or fair to single him out."

Any struggles he's battling are offset by the fact that the team is winning for the first time in his career, and are now genuine contenders to earn a playoff spot—or at least reach the Play-In Tournament—if they maintain their current form.

There's a lot of basketball to be played, of course, and the NBA trade deadline could bring more new faces to Houston. But for the time being, it sounds as though the Rockets are more than pleased with their current rate of progress.

Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks enjoyed a great revenge game against his old team, the Memphis Grizzlies, by dropping 26 points in a 103-96 road win on Friday evening.

After he hit a big three-pointer over ex-teammate Desmond Bane to put Houston up five with 39.4 seconds remaining, Brooks had this to say, per DaMichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal: "That's why they paid me 4 for $80 (million)."

Brooks emphasized in the locker room to reporters that he never wants to lose to Memphis again.

"I don't wanna lose to Memphis ever in my career...I wanna win every single time we play Memphis, just to let 'em know that they made a little mistake," Brooks said.

Brooks posted 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting and six rebounds in the second half alone to lead the 13-9 Rockets to their fifth straight win.

Brooks played in Memphis for six seasons before leaving in free agency for Houston. It was an ugly ending for Brooks in Memphis, as he went through numerous controversies during his final season in town. He also struggled mightily during the Grizzlies' first-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, who he called "old" early on in the series.

After the playoffs, Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic dropped a report that the Grizzlies told Brooks he would not be brought back under any circumstances. Brooks' agent, Mike George, refuted that report.

Ultimately, both sides did part ways, and Brooks ended up with a lucrative deal in Houston. Friday marked his first-ever game in FedExForum (Houston beat Memphis twice at home earlier this season), and he arguably saved his best game of the season for this evening.

Old friends temporarily became enemies on Friday after Bane got T'd up for getting in Brooks' face.

In the end, the Rockets and Brooks got the last laugh.

Brooks noted postgame that he really didn't want to lose here. He also added that this game meant more, he missed FedExForum and that he loved playing here.

The Rockets are 3-0 against Memphis this year. Now Brooks and the Rockets move on to Milwaukee, where they'll look for their sixth straight win on Sunday.

James Harden won three consecutive scoring titles when he was a member of the Houston Rockets from 2017 through 2020, but he pushed back at the narrative he was thinking about a return to such a style when his basketball future was up in the air this offseason.

Sam Amick of The Athletic asked Harden if there was any truth to the suggestion he told Houston he "wanted to go back to being a scoring champ and to go back to being the guy who played that Rockets style basketball, and that it was a turnoff that led to them changing their minds."

The guard brushed that off and pointed to his transition into more of a facilitator in recent years:

"Where is the personnel for that on that team? And in the last three or four years, what have I been trying to accomplish (in terms of playmaking)?

"You can answer that for yourself. Now the meeting was had, and those conversations about style of play, how I've been playing and things like that (took place). But (the idea of) me going out there and averaging 30-something points a game—who wants to do that?"

It is hard to argue with Harden's insistence that he has changed his approach from the score-first player he was during his time in Houston.

He averaged 33.7 points to 7.9 assists per game during the three seasons he led the league in scoring. Since then he has averaged 21.8 points to 10.2 assists per game and led the league at 10.7 assists a night just last season.

Yet there was no shortage of speculation that Harden would return to the Rockets this past offseason, which would have been a somewhat questionable move in terms of championship pursuit given Philadelphia's status as a contender and Houston's as a team that hadn't been to the playoffs since his departure.

Harden was ultimately traded to the Los Angeles Clippers but only after he opted into his $35.6 million player option instead of becoming a free agent.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported last month that he opted into that option and then requested a trade because he believed 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was going to offer him just a two-year deal with a team option instead of a longer extension.

The report also noted Harden grew frustrated when the trade didn't happen quickly, although he was eventually moved to a presumed contender in the Clippers.

Harden also told Amick that Morey and the 76ers said a max contract was eventually coming but he sensed that was not going to be the case. That led him down the path of opting into his contract and requesting the trade.

Now he is on a Clippers team where his recent focus on facilitating is ideal since he is playing with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. He is still searching for the first championship of his career, and it likely won't come if he commands too much of the ball like he did in Houston.

To hear him tell it, he's not looking to score 30 points a night anyway.

After going 22-60 last season, the Houston Rockets have bounced back in a big way by going 8-7 to start the current campaign.

With that in mind, the Rockets might be buyers at this year's deadline (Feb. 8, 2024) and could move some "tradeable contracts" in hopes of upgrading the roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

"Looking ahead to the February trade deadline, Houston will look to continue upgrading its roster with the tradeable contracts of Victor Oladipo, Jock Landale, Jeff Green, and future draft pick(s) compensation, league sources told HoopsHype."

Houston added point guard Fred VanVleet and wing Dillon Brooks while hiring Ime Udoka to be the next head coach. The results have been positive considering the team's dreadful 2022-23 season, to the point where a playoff run seems like a legitimate possibility.

Houston has a host of veterans who are on expiring contracts, namely Victor Oladipo, who is owed $9,450,000 this year before hitting free agency. The two-time All-Star is currently out with a torn patellar tendon suffered during last year's playoffs as a member of the Miami Heat.

The Rockets can decline a 2024-25 team option on Jeff Green ($9.6 million) too. Other veterans on expiring deals include Reggie Bullock, Boban Marjanovic, Aaron Holiday and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Jock Landale is on a four-year, $32 million contract, but he has no guaranteed money on his deal after this season.

Ultimately, the Rockets have the pieces to make moves if they so choose. It would be wise for them to capitalize on a promising start in hopes of making the playoffs for the first time in the post-James Harden era. With 21-year-old Alperen Şengün looking like a perennial All-Star right now, the Rockets could very well be setting themselves up for long-term success. And with that in mind, Houston is certainly a team to watch as the deadline approaches.

After an unceremonious departure from the Memphis Grizzlies last season, Dillon Brooks has already made a strong impression on his new team.

In an interview with The Athletic's Kelly Iko, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka called it "a benefit and luxury" to have someone with Brooks' defensive versatility on the roster.

Brooks seemed to wear out his welcome with the Grizzlies. He spent the first six years of his career with the club, but they put out word within one week of their first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last season that they weren't going to re-sign him.

It wasn't a huge surprise because Brooks went after LeBron James publicly by calling the future Hall of Famer "old" and "not at the same level as he was when he was in Cleveland and winning championships in Miami."

Brooks was ejected from Game 3 of the Grizzlies-Lakers series after receiving a flagrant 2 foul for hitting James in the groin. He also received a $25,000 fine from the NBA for not speaking with the media after games multiple times in the series.

The Rockets, who wanted to make a splash in free agency coming off three consecutive seasons with at least 55 losses, signed Brooks to a four-year, $86 million deal. They also brought in Fred Van Vleet on a three-year, $128.5 million contract.

In 12 starts this season, Brooks has been fantastic for the Rockets. He's shooting a career-high 50.8 percent from the field and averaging 13.9 points per game. His size and speed allows him to guard on the perimeter or take on bigger bodies in the paint.

Brooks is one of the biggest reasons the Rockets have the fifth-best defense by points allowed and rating in the NBA. They have run hot and cold overall this season with two three-game losing streaks sandwiched between a six-game winning streak.

It's not like Brooks' defense is a huge surprise that came out of nowhere. He was named to the All-Defensive second team last season.

As long as the Rockets can find some level of consistency, they can be a factor in the Western Conference playoff race for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Another day and another instance of Dillon Brooks calling out an opponent.

And this time it was his former team.

"You can see now they have no swagger," the Houston Rockets forward said of the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of their Wednesday showdown, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

"We have swagger. We have an identity we're building. Each and every game, we show it more and more. That's what I want for my guys. That's what I want for each and every guy on the floor: to play their best basketball."

Swagger or not, this has been a brutal start to the season for the Grizzlies.

Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard and Xavier Tillman Sr. are all injured, and star player Ja Morant is yet to play because he is serving a 25-game suspension. As a result, Memphis is 3-10, which is tied for the fewest number of wins in the Western Conference.

It is not where a team with championship aspirations in recent years wants to be, and Brooks clearly isn't too broken up about the struggles.

His Rockets are 6-6 and have been something of a roller coaster this season with a six-game winning streak in the middle of two three-game losing streaks, one of which is ongoing heading into Wednesday's contest.

There is reason for optimism with a group of Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr. and Brooks. It is a nice mix of young, promising talent and veteran presences, and Houston is in early playoff position.

It is also anything but surprising that Brooks is the one making headlines for his comments ahead of the game.

He rarely hesitates to speak his mind, including during infamous back-and-forths with LeBron James, and recently told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, "What I didn't like about Memphis was they allowed that so they can get out of the woodwork, and then I'm the scapegoat of it all.

"That's what I didn't appreciate. And then ultimately they'll come to me on the low, as men, one on one and tell me something, but then not defend me when everything went down."

The Grizzlies decided not to bring Brooks back this offseason, and there is apparently still some bitterness in place.

He will surely be under the spotlight on Wednesday when he faces his former team for the first time.

Trade rumors circled around Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green back in April, with the thought being the team could deal him for a big-time star a la James Harden, who later requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers in June.

The Green trade rumors have since quieted down altogether, but the 21-year-old has kept his trade rumor receipts, as noted to Shams Charania of Stadium when he asked about being involved in those talks (4:55 mark).

"There was a lot of talk around everything," Green said.

"I got thrown in there that I was getting traded. I feel like the Houston Rockets believe in me. I feel like they showed it a lot, multiple times. Even just like with the team we have now, they're showing it. But yeah, I was thrown in there and I was like, 'Screenshot, wallpaper, motivation.'

"...I mean, you never know what's gonna happen. You're never safe, and that there's never guarantees. There's always a reason to keep that chip on your shoulder and stay in the gym, no matter what ya'll situation is for real."

Green, who is entering his third NBA season, just averaged 22.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Rockets.

It's still unclear where Harden will end up. The 76ers are working on a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden's preferred destination, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the two sides still aren't close.

As ESPN's Tim Bontemps noted, the Clippers are the only team bidding for Harden.

That, of course, means the Rockets won't be acquiring the ex-Houston star. Houston will therefore go forth with a new-look team that added head coach Ime Udoka, guard Fred VanVleet, wing Dillon Brooks and promising rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

Green still fits into the picture as the team's franchise cornerstone. He has the potential to be a perennial All-Star and one of the league's top scorers. Having an improved roster, an Eastern Conference-winning coach and veteran leadership around him can only help his development as well.

Green and the Rockets open their season on Oct. 25 at the Orlando Magic.