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NBA Trade Rumors: Could Rockets Be Targeting Valanciunas In Trade Up?

We've already looked at the merits of Jonathan Givony's latest mock draft for Yahoo!, but there's something else here that might be worth talking about. Givony, like every writer ever, has heard that Houston is interested in making some deals. Try not to be too shocked by that factoid. Unlike most, however, he's willing to give an actual name the Rockets may be targeting: Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas.

Houston is reportedly exploring trade options, possibly in hopes of moving up to select Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas, who will fill a major hole in the middle.

We've already heard that if Valanciunas' buyout doesn't come easy, the Rockets may be his floor at No. 14 overall. It would definitely fill a position of need for the Rockets considering their lack of seven footers, and Valanciunas does actually rebound and bang in the middle unlike the stereotypical European big man, so he could be a nice get for the Rockets in a trade-up. Whether they're willing to pay the price to get there or not is another question, but he'd certainly make sense as a target for Houston.

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