Rafael Stone was once the NBA’s pariah.
It’s hard to recall now, but it’s true. He was the scourge of the league. How dare Stone engineer intentional losses?
It seems the league always needs a tanking scapegoat. It’s a practice as old as superstition, but it has changed. When the league flattened the lottery odds, it seemed designed to disincentivize tanking. It didn’t work. Teams didn’t shy from tanking because the odds of landing a top pick in a single season were lower. They tanked for multiple
seasons to compensate for the new odds instead. The Rockets were among the first teams to demonstrate that the new, flattened odds were a really stupid idea bore questionable results.
It’s all moot now. The Rockets are good. The Wizards are the new Rockets, but nobody has noticed because they’re not held to a standard anyway. It’s 2025, and it’s widely understood that Stone is a high-caliber GM.
But he does have one flaw.
It’s not drafting. That’s how Stone has built the Rockets into a contender from the ground up. Unearthing Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason in the middle of the draft is the crux of his reputation to date.
Whether Stone has done well near the top of the draft is a matter of debate. Most would concede that he should have taken Evan Mobley (or even Jalen Suggs) ahead of Jalen Green, but otherwise, it’s difficult to pinpoint a mistake.
You think Jabari Smith Jr. has underperformed on the standards of a third pick? Go look at the history of third picks. Amen Thompson was clearly the right choice. The jury is out on Reed Sheppard vs Stephon Castle, but the Rockets have no reason to regret that decision.
If anything, it’s the decisions Stone hasn’t made that might haunt him.
Rafael Stone rarely pulls the trigger
This article was inspired by recent reporting that Stone is unlikely to make any transactions this summer. It was akin to reporting that the ocean has every intention of remaining wet.
Stone seldom makes in-season transactions.
Yes, Stone secured Kevin Durant’s services this summer. That was a bold move. He’ll make trades in the summer, but his Rockets NBA Trade Deadlines have all been as quiet as the Western Front, despite existing in a blood bath of a Western Conference.
Last year, Stone acquired Cody Zellar and a second-round pick at the cost of the mythical Alpha Kaba, who may or may not exist, at the deadline. He also brought in Jaden Springer. Some fans got excited about that – does Stone see something in Springer?
Nope!
It was indicative of Stone’s typical trade deadline. The one exception was the 2023-24 Steven Adams acquisition, but even then, Adams was unable to join the squad until the following season. It seems like Stone has a firmly held conviction that rosters should only be shaken up in the summer.
It’s good to value continuity and chemistry. That’s smart. Still, this team has basketball limitations. Their 16.5% Turnover % is the second-worst mark in the NBA. It’s not hard to imagine that being problematic in the postseason.
Moreover, there’s an impetus to improve quickly that hasn’t existed for the rest of Stone’s tenure. Durant is here now. The Rockets aren’t in “title or bust” mode, but they are likely somewhere in “win a playoff series (or maybe 2) or bust” territory. There are expectations now.
They’ll likely need another ball-handler to meet them. It’s fine if Stone doesn’t want to rock the boat – he shouldn’t. A blockbuster deal would not behoove a 20-10 group with minor holes to fill. That said, filling those holes could be crucial for a deep playoff run.
If Stone is concerned about taking too many developmental ball-handling reps from Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson, he should get a combo guard. A player who can ease some of the perimeter playmaking burden while also complementing the Rockets’ young core without the ball could elevate this team. Someone like a Malik Monk, Collin Sexton, or Bogdan Bogdanovic shouldn’t cost an arm or a leg, or an unprotected first-round pick.
Yet, they’ll cost more than Cody Zellar. Acquiring such a player would change the Rockets’ complexion – in the middle of the season. It’s a risk, but it could bear disproportionate rewards:
Would Stone dare make such a move?
