The Houston Rockets have made a move that made it clear there’s interested in acquiring free-agent Dwight Howard. In order to do this Houston traded Thomas Robinson to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for two future second-round picks and the draft rights to Kostas Papnikolau and Marko Todorovic. It cannot be finalized until the moratorium ends on July 10th.
Robinson got selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Sacramento Kings. He then ended up being traded during the season to the Rockets on Febuaury 20, 2013. He averaged 15 minutes and 4.8 points per game as a rookie.
What does this mean for the Rockets?
The Rockets needed to free enough cap room to offer Howard a maximum contract. They accomplished that by shedding the $3.5 million contract of Robinson. This is a pretty big move since Howard isn’t even a done deal.
What does this mean for the Blazers?
For Portland, this is a win-win situation. They now have two top-10 picks from the 2012 draft, Damian Lillard and now Robinson.
LaMarcus Aldridge is already the All-Star power forward for the Blazers. Robinson may have to fight Aldridge for minutes. However, Aldridge can also play center. A position that he has dominated in the past. The only centers the Blazers have now are Meyers Leonard and Joel Freeland, neither of which are starter material. With more defensive training, Robinson could easily start as a power forward this season.
On the flip-side: Does this trade mean Aldridge is preparing to leave? Blazers fans are hoping that is not the case.