Rockets trade for Alexey Shved, cut Francisco Garcia

The Houston Rockets added more depth in the aftermath of the Corey Brewer trade, flipping Ronny Turiaf's dead-weight contract to the Philadelphia 76ers for guard Alexey Shved, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski (Feigen confirmed, so disregard the couched wording of Woj's tweet).

To make room for Shved, Woj also reports the Rockets are releasing Francisco Garcia.

This is a mini-whirlwind of activity on a day we were expecting just that. Here's where the Rockets' 15 roster spots stand now:

PG: Patrick Beverley, Isaiah Canaan, Jason Terry
SG: James Harden, Alexey Shved, Nick Johnson
SF: Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer, Kostas Papanikolaou
PF: Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, Clint Capela
C: Dwight Howard, Tarik Black, Joey Dorsey

Because of Morey's self-imposed first trade deadline, Brewer and Shved can still be traded at the deadline, which is key because we don't know how they're going to fit with this roster. In addition to Troy Daniels, the Rockets sent out their second-rounder from Sacramento and a protected 2016 second-round pick.

Did the Rockets get better?

This is the key question of any trade Morey makes nowadays. He's going for a championship this year -- and rightfully so -- and even though he loves just compiling assets, the assets he acquires this year have to make the Rockets better this year.

I think the Rockets did. I like the Brewer-Shved combo off the bench; a big concern of mine in the Brewer deal was there would be no one on the bench to throw him a solid outlet pass (I've never been convinced of Jason Terry's actual passing ability. Just because you're a point guard doesn't mean you're an above-average passer). Shved is that guy.

This is his third year in the NBA, and he's averaging a career high in assist percentage (31 percent of his team's buckets are via his assist when he's on the floor this year, per basketball-reference), a career low turnover rate (10.4 percent) and a career high in PER (19.4). He's a good player.

It will take Shved a while to adjust, and it's hard to tell how much of those numbers are inflated from being one of the few competent NBA players on the Sixers or how much is just Shved's talent. Either way, he's better than a lot of Rockets fans may think -- he was the starting point guard on Russia's Olympic team in 2012, and they were clearly the third-best team in the world, behind Spain and the U.S.

As for Cisco, we'll see how losing his leadership affects this team. He's been atrocious on the floor this season, but anyone around the organization would tell you how much he means to the young players on the team and what sort of veteran presence he provides. Brewer might bring the same thing, but the two have very different demeanors. Put a pin in this storyline.

Is this roster a championship contender?

This is the question that must be answered in the next 60 days. Look at that 15-man squad up there. Does it seem like a championship contender to you?

I honestly think the Rockets could contend for a championship, if Brewer and Shved can feed off team chemistry. But I'm not making the moves. Don't be surprised if Morey tries to flip Brewer and Shved -- whose contract expires after this year -- for an even bigger impact player.

What do you think of today's deals?