NBA Trade Rumors: Rockets Show 'Exploratory Interest' In Cavs' JR Smith

The Houston Rockets are reportedly interested in wantaway Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith.

It was reported last month that Houston was monitoring the trade market for wing players following their poor start to the season as well as the failed Carmelo Anthony experiment. And according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Rockets have "expressed exploratory interest" in acquiring Smith.

The 33-year-old veteran, currently making $14.7 million this season but guaranteed just $3.9 million next season, is currently "on hiatus" from the team as he looks to facilitate a trade away from Cleveland, having last played Nov. 14 against the Washington Wizards.

A potential trade package from Houston could involve the duo of Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss along with a draft pick, once they are eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.

Smith has averaged just 6.7 points on 34.2 percent shooting over 11 games this season for the Cavs, but given his career 37.3 percent three-point shooting, he would be an effective player for the Rockets to have, especially given their three-point shooting attempts along with the summer departure of Trevor Ariza.

He also boasts plenty of postseason experience with 130 playoff games to his name, having played alongside LeBron James with the Cavaliers as they reached four consecutive NBA Finals from 2014 to 2018. He notably shot 43 percent of his playoff three-pointers for Cleveland when they won the championship in 2016 as well as 50 percent of his playoff three-pointers last year.

With the Rockets being just one game away from making the NBA Finals earlier this year, an experienced player like Smith could make a difference, even despite his blunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors in the summer. He would also ideally work well with the likes of James Harden and Chris Paul.

After finishing the 2017/18 season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 65-17 record, the Rockets have been far from impressive this season as they currently second-bottom in 14th with an 11-14 record. They should still make the playoffs, but given how their season has gone so far, anything is possible.

As for the Cavs, they have struggled since the departure of James and currently boast a 6-21 record in the Eastern Conference, with only the Chicago Bulls doing worse at 6-22. They have had many unfortunate circumstances to deal with, but despite that, Smith accused the organization of wanting to tank the season.

"I don't think the goal is to win. The goal isn't to go out there and try to get as many wins as you can," Smith told The Athletic last month. "I think the goal is to develop and lose to get lottery picks. I think that was always the plan."