The Houston Rockets’ worst-kept secret is that they’re thin at the center position after trading the talented — but highly-paid — Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks in a four-team deal that was made official on Wednesday.
Currently, Houston has centers Tyson Chandler and Isaiah Hartenstein on the roster. But the two 7-footers are on opposite sides of the age spectrum, with Chandler at 37-years-old (the oldest player on the team) and Hartenstein at 21-years-old (the youngest player on the team).
Furthermore, neither player has played more than 27 games this season, with Hartenstein averaging just 12.0 minutes per game and Chandler averaging 8.8 per game.
Suffice it to say, with the trade deadline looming and buyout season set to begin shortly thereafter, it makes perfect sense for Houston to look for a suitable replacement for Capela.
That player, as it turns out, could have been Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson — who regards a trade out of Cleveland as “a priority” (per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon), and whom Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reports as being inquired about by Houston shortly before the deadline.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, the two teams were unable to agree upon a framework for the deal, with Thompson being owed $18.5 million this season (the last of a five-year deal he signed in 2015) and the Rockets lacking the tradable salary to approach that number.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the Rockets would eye Thompson as a buyout candidate, but that option doesn’t appear to appeal to the Canadian-born big man.
Having a career year, the 6-foot-9 Thompson has averaged 11.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game this season, his second-straight season averaging a double-double.
