For one, he's still shaking off the rust from a lengthy recovery process after suffering a ruptured quad tendon in 2019. And to O'Connor's point, he's significantly more of a playmaker than wings like Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr., even if their scoring averages are similar. The Warriors don't have a ton to offer the Rockets, who are clearly heading for a rebuild and have lost 13 games in a row.
Alize Johnson, who has starred for the G League's Raptors 905, reportedly has plenty of suitors ready to bring him back into the NBA. The 24-year-old appeared in 31 games for the Pacers over two seasons but saw limited time on the court, playing a career-high 6.9 minutes per game in his second season. After joining the Raptors for training camp, Johnson was cut by the team in December.
Let’s look into one trade each Western Conference contender could make with the Rockets: Utah Jazz (27-9) Jazz receive: David Nwaba Rockets receive: Udoka Azubuike, 2021 2nd-round pick While David Nwaba may be injured and out for six weeks, a team like the Jazz that are looking to add one small piece to a near-complete puzzle might take a flier on Nwaba, a defender who can guard all five positions.
W | L | Pct | GB | |
---|---|---|---|---|
18 | 14 | .563 | 0.0 | |
18 | 16 | .529 | 1.0 | |
16 | 16 | .500 | 2.0 | |
15 | 21 | .417 | 5.0 | |
11 | 23 | .324 | 8.0 |