Right after the Rockets hired Kevin McHale as their new head coach, he made one thing clear: Houston had to get big. So with the corpse of Yao Ming coming off the books this summer, they started by acquiring Donatas Motiejunas (7-0), Marcus Morris (6-9) and Chandler Parsons (6-9) on Draft Night to pair with Luis Scola (6-9) in the frontcourt. But apparently that was only just the start. They want Andris Biedrins.
From Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times:
I’ve been told the Rockets have offered Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill (for Biedrins). Haven’t confirmed if they were offered as a package, but the figures add up. Thabeet, a former No. 2 overall pick, is widely regarded as someone who simply not good enough to play in the NBA and probably won’t be. There is still some hope for Jordan Hill, but he’s got a Post-It note on his back that says “stiff.”
Bottom line for the Warriors: that’s not enough.
After checking with the NBA Trade Machine, the deal does work, with Thabeet and Hill making around $8 million next season and Biedrins owed $9 million per season over the next three years. As Thompson points out, the contracts for both Thabeet and Hill are up after next season, which means the Warriors would be shaving $18 million off their future cap. Also, Warriors owner Joe Lacob could even try to buy them out, saving a couple million dollars for this coming season.
While it’s clear the Rockets will have to up the ante to get this deal done, their starting center from last season – 6-6 Chuck Hayes – is an unrestricted free agent along with Yao. So whether or not it’s Biedrins, they’ll be active. As for the Warriors, with new coach Mark Jackson onboard, they’re in no rush to trade Biedrins before he sees his frontcourt in action.
What do you think? Would you make this deal?
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