Ben DuBose

It's all subject to change.

And I don't think the Rockets want to do that move.

I think they want to proceed with a young core.

And I think just philosophically, they want the window open as long as possible.

So I think in a perfect role, they won't have to trade for Giannis.

But depending what happens in the playoffs, depending what else happens around the NBA and what your competition looks like,

I mean, if the Thunder do it again and look like a super team, I mean, maybe that's the point in which you say, hey, like, just as the Rockets in the late 2010s said, let's pair James Harden, Chris Paul, and go after the Warriors.

Maybe they say, let's pair up Kevin Durant and Giannis, and that's the only way you can chase down the Thunder.

Like, I'm not saying for sure that's going to happen, but I think, you know, if he doesn't get traded to Dubline, it would be foolish to rule it out.

Someone in the chat asked about buyouts.

Let's revisit that in a week.

I do think that buyouts are much more likely to be the route that the Rockets pursue because if these guys we talked about as filler salaries, Capella and then the three injured guys, I'm including DFS in that because he's not fully available yet.

If they're off limits because the Rockets aren't going to sell them low, they're going to value them for next season and beyond.

And so the value is just not going to line up.

to where it makes sense to deal for a guy now, especially with, you know, the Rockets were cautious in negotiations with Tari Eason, and they would also be cautious in negotiations with Kobe White, because this team's going to be very expensive.

Like a lot of the guys in the market this summer are in the market at this deadline.

They're going to become free agents this summer.

And so there's a level of contractual uncertainty.

I don't think the Rockets are going to bid super aggressively financially, and that's another factor to consider because this team is going to be very expensive.

So if you're comparing a Kobe White, who's about to be an unrestricted free agent, to guys who are on friendly contracts like DFS, like Fred, like Steven Adams, I mean, that's another reason to sort of stay the course.