Rockets lose out on Jimmy Butler, who is heading to Philadelphia

The Houston Rockets have been pursuing star wing Jimmy Butler since he became available in trade over the offseason, at one point being dubbed the favorites to land him, but ultimately, they lose out, as the Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to send Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Robert Convington, Dario Saric, and a second round pick.

That ends a months-long wooing process that saw the Rockets reportedly offer as many as four first-round draft picks for Butler, but also saw them ultimately balk when the Wolves demanded Eric Gordon and/or P.J. Tucker in addition to the picks.

Also, the Wolves were reportedly not keen on dealing Butler to the Rockets at all, hesitant to send him to key Western Conference competitor that was in the Conference Finals the previous year.

The Rockets will now have to look elsewhere for upgrades to a roster that has looked disjointed, at best, so far this season and has struggled out of the gate to a 4-6 record. GM Daryl Morey has famously said all offseason that the team you have in October doesn’t have to be the team you have in April, so you can bet he’ll still be looking for ways to improve the roster, whether via trade or the buy-out market.

But with Butler out of the way, who do you think would look good in Houston and who would you like to see Morey pursue now?