The Houston Rockets are enjoying a terrific start to the season, ending their post-James Harden rebuild.
While they don’t have the best record in the Western Conference and the bookies rate them as underdogs against teams like the Thunder, the roster’s youthful duo of Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green makes them one of the most electrifying squads to watch this season. The rest of the roster, led by Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, adds to the team’s impressive 17-9 record.
Houston’s hoop fans can argue that the roster is only a couple of pieces away from becoming a terrifying team out West, and this means the front office will likely trade for a high-value role player before the trade deadline.
While these are exciting times for H-Town basketball, this might also spell the end of the road for one of the team’s key role players during the rebuilding years.
RUMOR: Jae’Sean Tate tipped to move away from the Rockets
Jae’Sean Tate isn’t a name that rings any bells for casual NBA fans. However, dedicated Rockets fans know the forward as one of the team’s more important role players during the team’s post-Harden rebuild. The undrafted Ohio State product had a terrific start to his Rockets career, averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals during his first two campaigns in Houston.
However, his lessened role in this season’s Rockets squad may see the 29-year-old get shipped off as a trade piece for a more impactful role player that better fits Ime Udoka’s game plans.
ClutchPoints’ David Yapkowitz explains the logic behind the possible move:
Tate is only 29 years old and is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the offseason. The team exercised their option on him this past offseason, and his salary is very team-friendly. But if the Rockets aren’t going to use him, they should trade him to a team that could benefit from a solid wing defender who can contribute all-around.
Aside from his contract situation, Tate is a tad undersized for his role. While he’s playing great ball at 6’4″, it’s hard to become an effective contributor for a contender as a forward of that size without having the same motor and playmaking as Draymond Green.
It will be interesting to see which player the Rockets could bring over if they do decide to part ways with Tate. However, it’s also just as likely that he re-establishes himself in the rotation and become an irreplaceable cog in Houston.
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