Rockets trade for Gerald Green

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey may have been the busiest man not involved in a presidential election over the past two days. Less than 24 hours after trading Bonzi Wells and Mike James to the New Orleans Hornets, Morey was at it again. In what can only be dubbed as a swap of malcontents, the Rockets shipped Kirk Snyder and a 2nd round draft pick off to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for hometown Houston high school legend Gerald Green just moments before the expiration of the NBA’s trade deadline.

Last week Snyder, who has only appeared in nine games this season, told Rockets management, through his agent, that he would welcome a trade to a team where he could earn more playing time. Stopping just short of demanding a deal, Snyder’s representatives expressed their client’s displeasure over his lack of opportunities to exhibit his talents to other teams due to his inability to crack Rockets head coach Rick Adelman’s rotation. With the 24-year old due to be a free agent this summer, Snyder knew he needed a chance to showcase his basketball aptitude in order to latch on to a team next season. The former Nevado-Reno standout has averaged only nine minutes per game this season, and appeared to be of little value in the Rockets’ playoff push. A deal seemed both imminent and beneficial to both parties.

Meanwhile in the Land of 10,000 Lakes Green’s agent, Bryon Irvin, requested a trade for his client in early January after the Timberwolves declined his client's contract option for next season, thus making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Green and his representatives started to worry after the Minnesota General Manager Kevin McHale bypassed the opportunity to sign the former Gulf Shores Academy standout to the fourth year option of his rookie contract next season. Immediately, the 22-year old Green questioned whether he was a part of the Timberwolves’ long term rebuilding plan along with other young cogs such as Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, and Randy Foye. Having averaged only 12.3 minutes per game in 29 appearances this season, the writing was on the wall for the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk champion, who finds himself being dealt for the second time in his short career. Last summer Green was part of the mammoth swap that landed former MVP Kevin Garnett in Boston.

The exchange appears to be a low-risk proposition for both the Rockets and the Timberwolves. Because Snyder was seemingly deemed to be expendable from day one and received rare bouts of playing time this season, the Rockets could only expect very little in return. The fact that Green was unable to see the court on one of the worst squads in the NBA is a telling sign that the Rockets got exactly what they should have anticipated, that is to say very little. Essentially, the trade was a swap of undesirables for both teams, with both players able to walk at season’s end. The saving grace for the Rockets is the fact that Green hails from the streets of Houston and has long desired to return home, which should prove to be a popular notion to Houston fans still steaming over the Rockets having passed up another homegrown high school legend who desired to play in the Bayou City (Rashard Lewis) in the NBA Draft several years back. Furthermore, if nothing else Green is the epitome of the terms raw talent and athletic ability after winning the NBA Slam Dunk competition last season and earning second place this year with his cupcake dunk.

With the Timberwolves going nowhere, they had little to gain and little to lose from the deal. By letting go of Green, Minnesota ostensibly announced that he did not have the makings of a quality NBA player – given the fact that he couldn’t crack the rotation of an 11-41 team ranked dead last in the Western Conference. With the Rockets in a playoff stretch run and having no use for Snyder, the team has essentially rented the services of the hometown kid over the next three months as they take him for a “test drive” to determine if he could provide any value to the franchise next year. Worst case scenario for Houston is that the team deems Green to be of little worth and lets him walk at season's end, having given up nothing of significance in exchange for the brief window shopping experience of a young athlete filled with endless promise.