An NBA insider just dropped a bombshell Rockets trade report saying that Houston, even after trading for Kevin Durant, are still in prime position to make another move by packaging together a couple of their depth pieces. We’ll tell you about this trade today in Rockets Digest. Welcome everybody. I’m Jace Andrews. Before we get going, we are the fastest growing Rockets community on YouTube.
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I would certainly appreciate it, and it’s 100% free. Okay, so Cam Whitmore has been the talk of the town in a lot of facets over the past 2 months in terms of trade topics. It was a guy the Rockets were more than willing to give away for Kevin Durant, but Phoenix, in fact, never asked for Cam Whitmore. Now, we know they asked for Reed Shepard.
They asked for Tari E. They asked for Jabari Smith Jr., but yet they never asked for Cam Wentmore when the Rockets were more than willing to offer him up. Now, he ended up not being included in the trade, but it seems as though the Rockets are still looking to maybe move off of Cam.
Kellyo said this a day ago, saying Rockets third-year wing Cam Whitmore has been the subject of a number of trade discussions in recent days.
This all coming from the Athletic. and he says that the situation is best described as fluid right now. So, a couple of things to take from that tweet. The first one being fluid. What does that mean?
It means talks are ongoing throughout a multitude of teams and that a trade could happen relatively any time right now. That’s kind of the big thing that I’m seeing from Kellyo in that in that instance. Now, from there, why exactly are the Rockets so willing to move off Cam Whitmore? He had a lot of prowess, right? He was supposed to be a guy that would come in here.
I mean, he’s only 20 years old and he could do some cool and good things. Played really well in the G-League ine past 2 years and yet for some reason the Rockets seem to be intent on moving off of him all of a sudden.
Now last year again 9.4 points per game and I think in some ways it’s just because he doesn’t fit into the scheme of the Rockets anymore. I think they saw him more as a small forward power forward and the Rockets they they don’t need that anymore.
That’s not something that they are looking at because they have KD, Jabari, Alprin, Tari, uh Steven Adams even at center position. Like they have their big guys now. And it’s funny cuz like if you look at Cam Whitmore, I mean he’s 6’7.
He’s a tall guy, but I don’t know when I look at him, I see him more as a guard in some ways. However, that’s apparently not the way the Rockets see him.
Um, I know he played a multitude of different positions down in the G- League, so it’s just kind of an interesting situation the way the Rockets have handled it. Well, that’s not the f that’s the one one of the debt players we talked about, but the second debt player is a guy that the Rockets actually mentioned about potentially releasing. Evan Cery has a great report here saying the Rockets will soon wave Jock Land to create $8 million in additional cap flexibility. Houston’s Reserve Big has a salary guaranteed trigger date of June 29th. Landell would generate strong interest from teams as a backup center on the veteran minimum market.
However, it didn’t seem smart of the Rockets to just wave Jock Land. They have control of him. I why why would they just release him when you probably could make a trade? Maybe maybe not something for just him, but make something work.
And that’s where we get the report and the trade today coming from Evan Cidery saying the Rockets could look to package Cam Whitmore and Jacqu Landell in a trade to return a strong rotational upgrade.
Now, this is combining to make an 11.5 million salary with Whitmore and Landell package and could bring back a player in the $15 million range given the salary that the Houston Rockets have available at this current moment.
He mentions a guy to monitor as Dorian Finny Smith. And I found that interesting because listen, Evan Cery is a very good guy in terms of being in the know and the knowledge of the NBA. He talked about the Kevin Durant trade and kind of listed out the trade as it would go before it even happened.
So, I trust what he has to say and his inside knowledge. And Dorian Vinnie Smith is an interesting guy to talk about. Now, he’s over 30 years old and going into his 32 years, his age 32 season. And listen, he is a good depth piece, 67, similar to Whitmore in some ways, but he’s more established in the NBA. 8.
7 points per game, 3.9, played with the Los Angeles Lakers. I like his field goal percentage for a 6-7 guy. His three-point percentage pretty relatively good. So, this would be an interesting package for the Houston Rockets to get back.
It kind of opens up the question though is what is Cam Whitmore worth cuz I mean the Rockets literally not 3 months ago seemed to think he was going to be the guy and so now I ask you the question the Rockets seem to think that the story for Cam Whitmore as a rocket is done. How would you rate your confidence on Cam right now from a scale of 1 to 10? Do you believe still in Cam Whitmore? think that he has a spot on this team or is he a guy that you’re kind of like the Rockets ready to move off of, ready to maybe get him in a trade and and see what happens? Cuz again, he is going into his third year and for all the talk about Jaylen Green being four years in, Cam hasn’t done much.
Like, yes, he’s been in the G-League ripping it up. And I mean, that’s kind of something I want to look at. His G-League numbers were absolutely impressive. I mean, played 11 games in 2024, 2025, played 13 games in 2023 and 2024, and in both seasons averaged around 20 points. Last year was actually a little worse than the year before, but he is a really solid guy, and I think that there was a lot of excitement around him, and I was really looking forward to seeing Cam get valuable minutes in the NBA level this year, and now it seems like they don’t believe in him.
Now again, this could all just be smoke in the air for the Houston Rockets because in some ways you kind of have to create this value behind your players if you want to trade them. And so maybe that’s what it was for the Houston Rockets. Say, “Oh yeah, we love him. We think he’s great to then just trade him.” There also is the management of this Jock Land is no longer needed.
You have Steven Adams and you have Alrenoot. You’re not going to pay a a third string center $8 million a year. That’s just not in the cards and the way the NBA works the these days. So, you’re going to want to trade him or wave him. You have years of control.
So, there’s no point to wave him. That would make zero sense. And so, in that process, okay, how about we trade him? Well, what are you going to get for a guy that’s $8 million in your mind is not really valued. You’re not going to get much for him.
Whereas, if you package him with Cam Whitmore, as Evan Cider said, John Landell is a heavy interest guy.
And you pair him with a guy like Cam, it would be a perfect representation. Now, the reason he mentions Dory Fine, Dorian Finey Smith is specifically because, well, the Rockets need a big man. Like, straight up, they need a guy that would go out there and play center. And Jock Lando, there you go.
That’s your guy. And so, it’s it’s very interesting to kind of mention that. Now, Jock has had an interesting career going from San Antonio to Phoenix to the past two years with the Houston Rockets. Listen, I’m not going to say he’s blowing the world away, but if you’re the Los Angeles Lakers and you need a center, AD’s gone.
Like, there’s there’s an obvious need there.
Why not take a risk on Lando? I mean, maybe he becomes your second string depth piece and that’s fine, but I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t take a risk on him, especially when you add into the fact that you’re getting a young piece and Cam Whitmore that I again I still like Cam. If I had to rank my confidence, it probably be an eight or seven. like I still think he has a very good shot of being a talented player in the NBA level, but the Rockets don’t see it that way. And so from that, they’re trying to make a deal.
And listen, Dorian Finny Smith, I already showed you his stats this year. They’re pretty dang good over his career. Kind of get to the latest years. 6.7 this or 8.
7 points total in his 2024 2025 season with the Lakers and with Brooklyn. 10.4 four points with Brooklyn back in 2023, 2024. Like, he has had a solid career from Dallas to Brooklyn to LA.
Why not bring him back to the Lone Star State, put him on the Houston Rockets and and see what he can do?
He provide very valuable minutes and could be an interesting role. Plus, according to all reports from coach Emoka and and a bunch of other sources, it seems like they want to have a tall lineup and they have their two tall centers, which is exactly why Jock Lando on the situation doesn’t exactly fit because he’s the same height as Alan Shenon.
He’s the same height as Kevin Durant and frankly, he’s behind Steven Adams. He’s not going to play. And even when the Rockets put in a Dell big lineup, the only way I see Jock Landell getting valuable minutes is due to an injury.
And again, when you’re looking at maybe the contracts yesterday, you’re probably asking yourself, okay, why were the contracts yesterday to, you know, Jan and and Aaron Holiday, all them being important? Why is Uncle Jeff important if if Jono isn’t? They’re important because their salaries are not going to be $8 million a year. I doubt it. They’re going to be pretty vet minimum.
$8 million with years of control on a guy that you don’t need equals a trade. That’s unfortunately how the NBA works. And Dorian Finny Smith would be a very solid return for him for a multitude of different reasons. Obviously, he would fit the fit the mold of what the Rock is looking for in a height piece, 67. He can move the ball well.
Um, I know again he’s going to be like a forward guy is kind of what you’re looking at him, but it seems as though the Rockets are content with having Reed Shepard, Amond Thompson, and Fred Van Vleet kind of run the two the two guard positions at point and shooting guard.
I think more often than not, we’ll see Fred run the point and then every now and then we’ll see Almond and Reed let in there, but overall they’ll probably play the shooting guard position. But it allows for flexibility in this lineup if you have Dorian Finey Smith with a 67 height and kind of keeps overall the Rockets in a very positive position with their height alignments and a flexible way with their roster. So it’d be an interesting trade for sure. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Do you think the Rockets should trade Cam Whitmore? Do you believe that they won’t trade him? Um Jock Landell obviously a trade right? you don’t think they should wave him at all with the ears control. What is your thought process on all this?
I want to see what y’all are thinking in the comment section. Let me know all of your thoughts. But I think that about does it for me today here on Rockets Digest. Once again, just want to say a big shout out and thank you to everybody who’s been supporting us.
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