5 biggest NBA trade moves made by the Houston Rockets in the 21st century

The Houston Rockets have been an exciting team since the turn of the century, entertaining fans and neutrals alike with their brand of basketball. The franchise has made some brilliant NBA trade decisions in the off-season, which has enabled them to have some of the biggest basketball players don the colors of the Rockets

On that note, let's take a look at the five biggest NBA trade deals completed by the Houston Rockets in the last two decades.

5 biggest NBA trade moves made by the Houston Rockets in the 21st century

#5 Tracy McGrady

2019 NBA Finals - Game One

In 2004-05, the Houston Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady in a seven-player NBA trade with Orlando Magic to pair him alongside rising Chinese star Yao Ming. T-Mac’s arrival in Houston inspired the franchise to their best performance in a decade, and they were back in postseason contention.

After leading the NBA in scoring in each of his last two seasons with the Orlando Magic, McGrady put up at least 24 points, five rebounds and 4.8 assists during each of his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets.

Unfortunately, when McGrady was with the franchise, Houston never made it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs. T-Mac's statistics were stellar nevertheless, as he averaged 27.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and seven assists per game.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019

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#4 Chris Paul

Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder

In 2017, then Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey took the NBA trade market by storm when he pulled off a blockbuster deal to pair Chris Paul with incumbent superstar James Harden. In exchange for CP3, the Rockets dealt away fan-favorite Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams and a ton of other assets for the 10-time All-Star.

Paul stayed with the Houston Rockets till 2019 and averaged 17.1 points, eight assists and five rebounds per game in the two seasons he was with the franchise. Despite missing a good chunk of both seasons due to injury, Paul managed to put up more impressive numbers than the vast majority of players in the last two decades in the franchise's history.

After Chris Paul agreed to opt-in on contract, Clippers are trading All-Star guard to the Houston Rockets, league sources tell @TheVertical

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2017

Chris Paul also put up rock-solid numbers in the postseason and experienced a jump to 21.1 points per game during the 2018 NBA playoffs. In that same year, the Houston Rockets reached the Western Conference finals, which is the closest they have gotten to the NBA title in quite a while.

#3 Shane Battier

2016 NBA Finals - Game Three

On draft night in 2006, the Houston Rockets took a huge gamble by sending their 8th overall pick and Stromile Swift in an NBA trade to Memphis Grizzlies for 5-year veteran Shane Battier.

Battier, who was a fan favorite in Memphis, quickly endeared himself to the Houston faithful. In his four-and-a-half season stint with the Rockets, Battier averaged 8.8 points but was a key contributor in defense on the most successful Rockets teams in recent times.

He formed a solid partnership with the likes of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, and he also became an integral part of an exciting Houston Rockets team.

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#4 Russell Westbrook

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers - Game Five

Daryl Morey made another blockbuster NBA trade as the Houston Rockets General Manager when he sent Chris Paul to the OKC Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook. The idea was to pair up the former MVP with another one in James Harden, who has been the best scorer in the NBA in the last few years.

The trade has not necessarily worked out, as Russell Westbrook struggled badly in the postseason. But the player was solid in the regular season before the league stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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#5 James Harden

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers - Game Five

In the summer of 2013, the Houston Rockets took the league by storm when they offered veteran Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two future first-round picks and a second-round pick for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, James Harden.

No one could have predicted the ascent of Harden, especially the OKC Thunder, as the 6' 6" guard evolved into a lethal scorer in the following years.

Harden has been selected to six All-NBA teams and has also been on the first team in five of the last six years. He's the only Rockets player to earn first-team honors since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1996-97.

James Harden won the MVP award in 2017-18 and had three second-place finishes (2014-15, 2016-17 and 2018-19). He has been placed within the top nine votes every season with the Houston Rockets, which shows the great vision the franchise displayed while doing the NBA trade.