Ja Morant trade rumors, Memphis Grizzlies trade rumors, Fred VanVleet ACL injury recovery, Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Rockets trade rumors, Durant passes Wilt Chamberlain NBA all-time scoring list, Durant seventh all-time scoring list
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The Houston Rockets haven't had a true point guard all year, and with Ja Morant trade rumors heating up, they were named a top landing spot.
The Houston Rockets have been without a true point guard all year after Fred VanVleet suffered a preseason ACL injury. In the meantime,they’ve used Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard as their de facto playmakers. Still, with the recent news that Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies could be available in a trade, the Rockets were immediately named as a potential landing spot.
However, according to a recent update by NBA insider Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, Houstondoesn’t appear to be entertaining the idea of adding one of the more controversial and undulating players in the league.
“The Houston Rockets are not interested in trading for Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, sources tell@YahooSports,”Iko wrote in a post on X.
Kelly Iko
The Houston Rockets are not interested in trading for Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, sources tell @YahooSports.
Despite not having VanVleet, the Rockets have fared well without a true point guard. With the now-seventh all-time leading scorer in NBA history in Kevin Durant, alongside Alperen Sengun, Thompson, and a strong supporting cast, Houston is currently sixth in the Western Conference standings with a 22-13 record, but has lost three of their last four games.
Rockets Made Decision On Ja Morant Trade Rumors
After Trae Youngwas traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards, Morant is now the next point guard on the NBA trade market whocould very well be dealt before the deadline.
Without VanVleet, head coach Ime Udoka is using a point-guard-by-committee system this season. Houstonwas immediately named as a landing spot for the two-time All-Star andGrizzlies’all-time leader in points per game.
But now,Iko’s report has put an end to those brief rumors. Before that, in a recent article by Bleacher Report on potential landing spots and trade packages for Morant, the Rockets were named alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks.
KevinO’Connor, also of Yahoo Sports, confirmed the Heat, Timberwolves, and Kings have shown interest, but as seen in the mock trade that Houston would have to give up,it’s easy to see why theywouldn’t want to send out so many assets for a player who has consistent issues both on and off the court.
Here’s theRockets’ trade idea for Morant on B/R:
Rockets get: Ja Morant
**Grizzlies get:**Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Josh Okogie, and a top-10 protected 2032 first-round pick swap.
Shams Charania
Reporting for @SportsCenter on the Memphis Grizzlies listening to trade offers for star guard Ja Morant:
Just because Houstondoesn’t appear interested in Morantdoesn’t mean theystill won’t target a point guard before the deadline; it will likelyjust come in the form of a player carrying lessof a risk.
Kevin Durant Moves Up NBA All-Time Scoring List
At the same time the Rockets now look out of the Morant trade sweepstakes, Durant moved up another spot on the all-time scoring list in theteam’s latest loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Now at 31,435 total regular-season points, Durant passed the legend Wilt Chamberlain to become seventh on theleague’s all-time scoring list. The bucket that put him over the edge came in the form of a third-quarter three-pointer.Despite Durant moving up the list in a losing effort, after the game, he said it was an honor to beup there with some of the best to ever play the game.
“To be amongst the greats is always an honor,”Durant said, according to the Associated Press. “Wilt is somebody I studied and tried to look up to as much as I can, a player like that. Like I always say, he set a standard for NBA players, and [I’m] grateful to reach that — and inspired by what he produced for the game of basketball.”
He is now 125 total points away from DirkNowitzki’s 31,560 total, which he will likely pass this month to become theNBA’s sixth all-time leading scorer.
He credited the city of Portland for its classy recognition of just another one of his career achievements.
“These milestones always have me reflecting on the people that helped me get to this point,”Durant added. “So to be here, very, very grateful, and Portland is such a classy, classy city for recognizing me in that moment and honoring me.”
After finishing with 30 points and 12 rebounds in the game, Durant also surpassed the 8,000 career rebounds mark, one of only 83 players in league history to do so.