2 superstars are close to the Rockets? Expert analysis: Stone is willing to chase and can succeed! The chips are rich enough

In the 7 games of the playoffs, it is no exaggeration to say that the Houston Rockets suffered a huge loss in the lack of superstars. If there was a superstar player among the Rockets who had offensive deficiencies, then the Rockets might have eliminated the Warriors long ago and the Timberwolves would be the opponent in the next round. I can only say that the Rockets missed the best time to strengthen this season. Before the trading deadline, the Rockets had the opportunity to chase superstars like Jimmy Butler and Durant, and even stars like Daron Fox, and the Rockets had the opportunity to fight for them.

But the Rockets management is still conservative. They want this lineup to continue, so they have not completed any large-scale deals. Now, the Rockets management may regret seeing the speechless performance of the Rockets in these seven games. It can only be said that the Rockets' role players are indeed very strong, but no superstar can stand up and play at critical moments, which is also the Rockets' biggest weakness in the playoffs. When encountering tough battles, no one in the Rockets can stand up; when encountering high-end games, star players like Shin Kyung and Jaylen Green cannot stand up, and Van Vreet broke out by chance, but it cannot last, which is also the biggest problem for the Rockets.

This summer, chasing superstars has become the Rockets' best solution. Top forwards like Durant and Antetokounmpo are all the targets that the Rockets are interested in. The Rockets have plenty of chips to chase superstars this summer. When discussing with fans, the famous NBA expert Brett Segal directly stated that as long as the Rockets are willing, they are able to complete any desired transaction, and there is no need to consider salary matching.

Because Jaylen Green will execute a new contract next season, his salary is $33 million; Smith Jr. will earn 12.3 million next season; even rookie Shepard, his annual contract salary next season will reach 10.6 million, so salary matching is not a problem at all, just to see if the Rockets will chase superstars.

This is absolutely true. The Rockets have a chance to get a star before the transaction is over, but Rockets general manager Raphael Stone did not do so. He chose to hold on and hold on. But obviously, during this offseason, the Rockets can fully chase top superstars like Durant and Antetokounmpo.

Except for Amen Thompson, most of the Rockets' players can be put into the trade now. As long as the Rockets are willing, they can come up with multiple young and promising talented players, as well as some immediate players like Van Vreet and Dillon Brooks, and even some expired contracts for the Rockets, such as Landale, Tate, etc. Moreover, the Rockets' multiple first-round draft picks and first-round swap rights from the Suns are also very attractive to the Suns.

So once the Stone manager decides to trade, they can open up generous chips, which is unlikely to refuse. Once Antetokounmpo wants to leave the Bucks and Durant wants to leave the Suns, if the Rockets take action, they are very likely to get these two superstars, and it depends on whether the Rockets are willing to do so.