When Silas left Houston, Rockets general manager Stone expressed his gratitude to him.
Although Silas is not capable enough, he has successfully completed the task of tanking assigned by the Rockets management, and he has both merits and hardships.
Let's take a look at the Nets. They have won 12 games in the Eastern Conference with insufficient competitiveness so far, and they have already fallen behind the first group of tanking.
The Nets' general manager is anxious. He has reduced the price to sell the team's main player Schroder. Lakers reporter Buha previously stated that insiders in the league were surprised by Schroder's trade, believing that he should be able to exchange for a first-round pick.
Schroder is gone, and the Nets' head coach has handed over the offensive banner to Johnson, and they can still win. The Nets defeated the Bucks away, with Cameron Johnson scoring 29 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, becoming the big contributor to the victory. Judging from the current situation, the Nets may accelerate the transaction and send Johnson away. Five days ago, NBA reporter Evan Sidery revealed that as many as 10 teams had inquired about the situation of Cameron Johnson with the Nets. If the Nets continue to win, the trade may be reached in the coming weeks.
Many NBA reporters have mentioned the Rockets' interest in Cameron Johnson, and some fans also hope that Stone can trade him to enhance the team's offensive firepower.
The Nets hope to get a first-round pick and a promising young player with training value in the trade of Cameron Johnson, such as Whitmore. However, the Rockets are unwilling to exchange Whitmore for a role player.
Before the 2023 draft, experts believed that Whitmore's talent could rank among the top five in that rookie class. He can adapt to the level of confrontation in the NBA, break through and shoot, and the sky is his limit.
Seeing such a potential stock like Whitmore, the Nets' general manager naturally coveted it, and they issued an interview invitation. Whitmore is also very high in emotional intelligence. He mentioned in the interview that his style is somewhat similar to Mikal Bridges.
The Nets' general manager was very happy, so he tried to trade up the draft pick to improve the position in order to select Whitmore. It must be admitted that the Rockets are lucky. They picked up Whitmore with the 20th pick, leaving the Nets with the 21st and 22nd picks dumbfounded.
If the Rockets are willing to send Whitmore plus a first-round pick, the Nets may agree to let Cameron Johnson go to Houston. Johnson is a reliable shooter, but he is not the player the Rockets urgently need.
Johnson's defense is average, and there are injury risks. What the Rockets' head coach Udoka values most is defense. The Rockets' front line is not short of people. Dillon can rest and let Amen go up. Ethan is injured, and Tate and Whitmore on the bench can also play an important role.
Johnson is already 28 years old and earns more than 20 million US dollars a year. Whitmore is only 20 years old and is still on a rookie contract. Obviously, Stone is not stupid, and he will certainly calculate this account.
Whitmore scored 27 points in the game against the Pelicans, averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the past three games, shooting 50% and 44.4% from three-point range.
Before the trade deadline last season, famous reporter Shams revealed that unless they could trade for an All-Star level player, the Rockets would not use Amen and Whitmore as chips in the negotiation.
Now Amen has become a non-sale item for the Rockets. When he starts, he can score an average of 15.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.3 blocks, shooting 54.3%.
And Whitmore has also proved that his scoring burst is not much worse than Jalen Green's, so Stone will naturally not use him to exchange for role players like Johnson.
Winning the game and getting beautiful data, Whitmore was in a good mood. After the game, he said in an interview: "I am proud of myself, and I am also proud of my efforts. At the same time, I want to thank my teammates for trusting me and passing the ball to me. I am slowly regaining my form and working hard to recover my physical fitness. The rhythm of the NBA game is different, and I am still adapting."