The Houston Rockets have been looking for a 'third star' to play alongside All-Star shooting guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard since the start of the free-agency period.
But after missing out on Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh and then losing a talented swingman Chandler Parsons, the Rockets must make a gamble in working out a sign-and-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns for disgruntled point guard Eric Bledsoe.
The Rockets' summer of 2014 hasn't been as huge as what they had in the previous offseasons, when they acquired Harden in a trade with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 and Howard via free-agency in 2013.
The team entered the free-agency period with lots of optimism of landing a third star, as they attempt to contend for a title next season. Many analysts agreed that the Rockets are just a major piece away to becoming a legitimate force.
However, the only problem is they haven't got luck this time around with Anthony (New York Knicks) and Bosh (Miami Heat) choosing to re-sign with their respective teams.
"We feel very comfortable that our two top players are what we need to be a championship team," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told Sports Illustrated Ian Thomsen.
"And we do need someone to step into that third role. We don't have our third-best player on a championship team yet, and we need one of younger guys to develop into that - or potentially make an addition, whether it be this year or in free agency this offseason."
The Rockets, who ditched away the contracts of Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin and Parsons to create enough space to sign a max player, only had veteran swingman Trevor Ariza as their consolation price this summer. Although Ariza is a solid pick, he doesn't have that ability to make the Rockets a formidable NBA championship contender.
Enter Bledsoe!
Despite losing a lot of assets in their attempt to clear cap space, the Rockets are still loaded with tradable pieces on their roster and future draft picks. They also got a handy $8 million trade exception by sending Lin to the Lakers.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns and Bledsoe are still millions apart to hammer a deal. The Suns already offered a four-year, $46 million deal while Bledsoe wants a max contract worth $84 million over five years.
Though the Suns remain firm in their stance not to let Bledsoe walk away, the Rockets should try to make a gamble by offering Patrick Beverley, Donatas Matiejunas and future draft picks for the explosive guard in a sign-and-trade deal.
Bledsoe, who averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game, could be the player the Rockets have been looking for all this time. The 24-year old guard has already proven that he's ready to take the next step and become the third wheel for the ambitious Rockets.
As for the Suns, they would get a defensive specialist in Beverley and a big shooter like Matiejunas. Moreover, the inclusion of draft picks would make the deal sweeter for the Suns, who could have three first-round picks next year.
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