The Houston Rockets are dealing with a Dwight Howard injury and now the star will be out for a month and as the trade deadline gets closer, the team could look for some help, as Brook Lopez, Goran Dragic, Reggie Jackson, Deron Williams and Roy Hibbert could be potential targets at the deadline to give James Harden some support in the dog days of winter.
ESPN.com reports that Howard could be out for a month after getting a knee procedure and he comes in after last playing on January 23. Harden now has more pressure on him and with the Rockets reportedly looking to upgrade at point guard from Patrick Beverley, there are some options they could look at. The team has been playing well overall in the west, but they will have to weather this storm without Howard.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Marc Stein writes that the Rockets are interested in making a trade for another point guard, as they want some support behind or alongside Patrick Beverley. The team tried to trade for Rajon Rondo before he was moved to the Dallas Mavericks and that could lead the team to look at other players. Goran Dragic has been identified as a potential option in free agency and the Rockets could look at signing him away from the Suns or trade for him now.
The Rockets also could look at Jose Calderon or Norris Cole, as both of those players have been shopped this season by their teams. Jackson is likely going to get traded and according to Pro Basketball Talk, the Thunder nearly moved him to the Denver Nuggets. Jackson has not been getting much playing time since the Dion Waiters trade and he could get moved since he is heading into restricted free agency. Jackson is averaging 13 points with four rebounds and four assists per game this season, but his numbers have been way down since the Waiters trade.
Dragic has also been a target with the Suns, as he is heading towards free agency and could be moved if Phoenix thinks that he will leave. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Dragic is going to be targeted by the Knicks, Lakers, Houston Rockets and Pacers in free agency and those teams could price out the Suns. Phoenix would rather not trade Dragic, but after signing both Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas, it might be the best move going forward for the franchise.
The team is ranked seventh in the league in scoring with 102 points per game and they have been allowing less than 99 points per game. Harden has the offense running with brilliance and Josh Smith has started to find his role with the team and that could help soften the blow of losing Howard for a few weeks. The Rockets have been playing much better on defense and they come into the weekend after a win against the Mavericks and they will next play the Celtics and the Pistons on the schedule.
