Other marquee Rockets trade acquisitions

Oct. 24, 1976: Moses Malone is acquired from the Buffalo Braves, for whom he never played, for first-round draft picks in 1977 (Wesley Cox) and 1978 (Michael Ray Richardson). A Hall of Fame center, Malone wins two MVP awards in his six seasons in Houston and leads the team to the 1981 NBA Finals.

Feb. 14, 1995: Clyde Drexler is acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers along with Tracy Murray for Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola and a first-round draft pick in 1995 (Randolph Childress). A Hall of Fame guard, Drexler was a crucial component as the Rockets went on to the 1995 championship, their second in a row.

Aug. 19, 1996: Charles Barkley is acquired from the Phoenix Suns along with a second-round draft pick in 1999 (Tyrone Washington) for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Chucky Brown and Mark Bryant. A Hall of Fame forward, Barkley averaged 19.2 points and 13.5 rebounds in his first of four career-concluding seasons in Houston but couldn’t get the Rockets past the Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference finals.

June 29, 2004: Tracy McGrady is acquired from the Orlando Magic along with Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato. A twotime NBA scoring champion and 2017 Hall of Fame electee, McGrady, a small forward, averaged 22.7 points in five-plus seasons in Houston but never won a playoff series as an active Rocket.

October 27, 2012: James Harden is acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder along with Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, first-round draft picks in 2013 (Steven Adams) and 2014 (Mitch McGary) and a second-round draft pick in 2013 (Alex Abrines). A two-time MVP runner-up in Houston, the durable guard has averaged 27.4 points over his five seasons with the Rockets and this past season led the NBA with 11.2 assists per game.