As expected, the Houston Rockets are once again one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Already a top contender last season, the Rockets pulled off arguably the biggest trade of the summer by bringing in Kevin Durant , and it has immediately paid off. The boys from H-Town are currently sitting at fourth in the West with a 28-16 record.
As good as that record is, however, many believe that they still need a few more pieces to be a true top contender in the league. First and foremost, the Rockets need a primary playmaker, a role left vacant by Fred VanVleet , who suffered a torn ACL during the offseason. In general, the Rockets sorely need a guard.
While their rotation of Amen Thompson , Reed Sheppard , and Aaron Holiday is working for now, it'll probably be in their best interest to pick up another backcourt body, and they could do so at the upcoming trade deadline.
If the Rockets would rather bring someone in, however, NBA veteran Spencer Dinwiddie has thrown his name into the hat.
An 11-year veteran with notable stints in Brooklyn and Dallas , Dinwiddie believes that he can be of some help to Houston.
"Oh, I'd love to go to the Rockets," Dinwiddie said without hesitation on an appearance on the "Buckets Don't Stop" Podcast. "I'd love to go to the Rockets. One of my best NBA friends, Dorian Finney-Smith, is on the Rockets, and I think the VanVleet injury really hurt them. I think they have all the makings of having that championship-type team."
Spencer then explained how a player like himself could bolster Houston's rotation and fit into the system.
"They have young talent, in [Jabari] Smith and Thompson, they got a great post-up threat and creator in [Alperen] Sengun, they have an all-time, all-world scorer in KD, and I think a guard that can go in there, catch and shoot off of Sengun and KD, set the table, in terms of just taking some of the thought-process off of setting the table in terms of KD and Sengun, and just letting them score, letting them do their thing, and just letting them be the free offensive talents that they are, that would definitely help," Dinwiddie said.
"Obviously, they have ample defense and three-and-D with [Josh] Okogie and Dorian, and a lot of those guys, Tari Eason, etcetera, coming off the bench. I think all the makings are there. I would absolutely love to play there. We'll see what happens with the trade deadline and all the stuff going on," he added.
While Dinwiddie was never really a go-to-guy over his career, he's definitely a solid rotation piece, possibly even a reliable third option.
For his career, Dinwiddie has averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. Spencer even averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists for the Nets back in the 2019-20 season, which would be the best scoring season of his NBA career so far, but he also had decent seasons averaging over 17 points with Dallas.
While he's currently out of the league, Dinwiddie definitely has the talent and experience to contribute to any NBA team today, especially a fringe contender like the Rockets.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
