Tilman Fertitta and Rafael Stone took the proper path in January 2021 when they traded James Harden and kickstarted a multi-year tanking campaign into the NBA cellar. Their head-coach hire two years later could send the Houston Rockets back into contender status sooner than later.
Houston's owner and general manager knew they needed more than an influx of talent after 2022-23 (a disastrous 22–60 campaign in the final year of Stephen Silas' tenure). The Rockets, previously a playoff stalwart, didn’t just tumble down the league standings during their multi-year teardown.