Giving out a lot of chips just to chase superstars? The Rockets emptied out two formations to upgrade their starting lineups, and their record is difficult to improve.

In addition to tough defense and team basketball success, the biggest lesson the Rockets have learned this season is: there must be a star player with offensive hard-hitting ability in the team. Whether this player is Durant or Antetokounmpo, even a star player of Morant's level, the Rockets don't have one now. Van Vreet is in a state of unstable condition, sometimes better and sometimes worse.

In 7 games of the playoffs, he played like a super point guard in 3 games, while in the remaining 4 games, his performance was quite average. Jaylen Green scored 30 points from time to time in the regular season, but in only one of the seven games in the playoffs, he scored 38 points. Therefore, it is reasonable for the Rockets to chase superstars.

As Stone manager suggested, the current lineup may still be retained this season and will not make large-scale deals. But anyone with discerning eyes can see that the Rockets' championship window is now. A few years later, it is time for young players like the Rockets to sign new contracts, and the Rockets' room for strengthening will basically be locked. Now, while there are still several players with rookie bonuses, it is the most correct choice to quickly dig up superstars to compete for the championship.

The most suitable Rockets is naturally the 30-year-old Bucks superstar Antetokounmpo. But the Bucks have already made a request: if the Rockets want to get Antetokounmpo, they must send out their defender Jaylen Green, and their substitute forward Jabbarry Smith Jr. In addition, the first round draft picks and several young players in the substitute lineup are all the bargaining chips that the Rockets need to give out. The Rockets gave so many chips just to chase a superstar, which sounds a bit incredible. But what the Rockets lack now is such a superstar. There are many young players in the league, but there are indeed few superstars like Antetokounmpo in the league.

However, is it necessary for the Rockets to hollow out their second team to upgrade the starting lineup? As we all know, whether it is Jabbarry Smith, Ethan, Whitmore and Shepard, they are potential bargaining chips. If the Rockets use these young players to exchange for superstars, their starting lineup will definitely be fine and will be better and stronger than this season.

But who else can be left in the second team? In addition, the contracts of Adams, Jeff Green and Tate expire, and the Rockets' second team will really be unavailable next season. You know, the Rockets finally won the second place in the West this season because of their lineup depth. Next season, if the Rockets upgrade their starting lineup and add a star player to it, but the second team is basically hollowed out due to the trade, it will be extremely difficult for the Rockets to further the record of second in the Western Conference next season.

Moreover, in the playoffs, in addition to the performance of star players, the performance of role players is also crucial. The Rockets rely solely on the starting lineup, and it will definitely be difficult for them to compete with the top teams in the West. So, whether the Rockets need to take out a lot of chips to exchange for superstars really needs to be carefully considered.