As the NBA’s 2023-24 in-season trade deadline approaches in early February, backup center has long been a rumored position of interest for the Houston Rockets. But could general manager Rafael Stone potentially have interest in adding more 3-point shooting?
According to veteran NBA scribe Matt Moore, who is now with The Action Network, second-year Atlanta Hawks forward AJ Griffin appears to be of at least some interest to the Rockets.
In his latest column, which explores the possibility of bigger transactions for the underachieving Hawks, Moore writes:
The Bulls, Rockets and Knicks have expressed interest in AJ Griffin, who has fallen out of the rotation under Quin Snyder this season.
NBA Trade Intel on what execs have said about the Hawks, plus some notes on the Wizards and more. https://t.co/mbPB9vCzla
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 10, 2024
Griffin, drafted No. 16 overall in the 2022 first round (one spot in front of Houston’s Tari Eason), averaged 8.9 points in 19.5 minutes as a rookie, shooting 46.5% overall and 39% on 3-pointers. He’s a versatile 6-foot-6 forward who turned 20 years old last offseason.
But the second-year player out of Duke has largely fallen out of Atlanta’s rotation in his sophomore 2023-24 season. He is averaging 2.5 points in 9.0 minutes per game and just 13 games played.
Houston owns three second-round picks in the 2024 NBA draft, but the Rockets are unlikely to have roster room for that many players next season. Thus, a consolidation trade for a player like Griffin, who needs a change of scenery, could make sense.
For now, stay tuned! The 2023-24 in-season trade deadline arrives in just under one month on Thursday, Feb. 8.
