Will the Rockets trade for Robert Williams III before the NBA trade deadline?

Robert Williams III has been one of the key names being mentioned in rumors ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. Although the Portland Trail Blazers are not actively seeking to move him for anything before the deadline, Williams has generated plenty of buzz dating back to the offseason due to his athleticism and rim-protecting abilities. With just over two weeks until the trade deadline, Williams continues to be linked to playoff-contending teams, specifically the Houston Rockets.

Head coach Ime Udoka and the Rockets’ front office deserve a ton of credit for building what looks to be one of the more promising young teams in the league. Houston is currently 28-14 this season, second place in the Western Conference behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green have led the way for what has turned out to be one of the better defensive teams in the league. It is no secret to anyone around the league that the Rockets have been seeking improvements in their frontcourt next to Sengun, and Williams has been linked to this organization since the summer.

Once again, Williams has emerged as a prime trade candidate for Houston ahead of the deadline, especially after a recent interaction with Udoka that raised eyebrows around the league.

In the aftermath of Houston’s recent 125-103 victory over the Blazers, Williams was seen talking with Udoka and a couple of other Rockets staff members, some of whom covered their mouths while speaking with Portland’s big man. Williams has always been fond of Udoka’s coaching methods, and he would welcome a reunion with his former Boston Celtics coach, league sources told ClutchPoints. This feeling is mutual, as Udoka has always spoken very highly of Williams.

This “buddy-buddy” moment between Udoka and Williams, as one league source put it, was not a complete surprise to see. Williams was genuinely happy to talk with his former coach, who helped him unlock his potential. In Udoka’s lone season with the Celtics, Williams averaged 10.9 points. 9.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game en route to earning All-Defensive Second-Team honors and finishing seventh in the Defensive Player of the Year vote.

Ahead of the NBA trade deadline approaching on Feb. 6, the Rockets have held discussions about Williams with the Blazers, sources said. However, these two teams have talked multiple times throughout the season. At no point have these discussions surrounding Williams ever progressed to the point where a trade was on the verge of happening. Still, Houston holds strong interest in adding the former All-Defensive center this season.

Whether or not the Rockets can beef up their frontcourt next to Sengun with a player like Williams comes down to their willingness to part ways with some value in addition to how the Blazers feel about sacrificing a player they are high on.

Rockets among several trade suitors

Unfortunately for Williams, health has been the greatest factor contributing to his decline in recent years.

Since playing for Udoka in Boston during the 2021-22 season, a year when Williams and the Celtics went to the NBA Finals, the athletic big man has only played in 55 total games due to various knee ailments. After tearing the meniscus in his left knee during the 2021-22 season, Williams missed the start of the 2022-23 season after opting to undergo a second procedure in the offseason.

Upon being traded to the Blazers in a deal that sent Jrue Holiday to Boston, Williams required surgery to reconstruct a torn ligament in his right knee after he sustained a patellar dislocation. This injury resulted in Williams playing only six games last season before returning in November. The Blazers center has played in only 14 games this year.

Any team looking to pursue Williams before the trade deadline will do so knowing the risk such an addition carries. While there is potential for a high reward by adding the 27-year-old, this is also a very risky move for any organization to take given his extensive knee injury history.

This is why Williams’ value in trade rumors has been all over the place as of late.

What Portland is looking for in a potential Williams trade is a mystery. Regarding Houston, Tari Eason would be an appealing young talent for the Blazers to want, yet the Rockets have made it abundantly clear that they don’t hold interest in trading any of their recent first-round picks. Instead, Houston is looking to center a trade package around Jock Landale, Jae’Sean Tate, and numerous second-round picks for a talent like Williams, sources said.

Since the Blazers continue to build during their rebuild, centering a Williams package on second-round picks wouldn’t necessarily be their go-to option. After all, Williams is a player Portland specifically wanted in trade talks for Holiday with Boston.

The Rockets, sources said, could be forced to part ways with a talented young player like Cam Whitmore in a deal for Williams. The Blazers are not just looking to dump Williams for anything they can get before the deadline since he is generating interest from multiple suitors. So, there has to be some real value coming back to Portland.

In addition to the Rockets holding discussions with the Blazers centered on Williams, the big man has also generated interest from the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference from the summer to this point in the 2024-25 season, sources said. Both the Clippers and Lakers have been known to hold interest in adding frontcourt help before the deadline.

The Warriors have Williams on a list of several centers they hold interest in, a list that also includes veterans like Nikola Vucevic, Jonas Valanciunas, Kelly Olynyk, and others.

In recent weeks, two other notable Eastern Conference teams have inquired about Williams’ availability leading up to the deadline, one of which is firmly in the playoff conversation.

Of course, a decision to trade Williams is one that the Blazers will need to internally discuss over the next 16 days. Williams still has another year left on his contract, and if Portland isn’t getting what they want in trade discussions, they do not need to move him this season. What the Blazers decide to do is the key question nobody has answers to.

Blazers’ feelings about trading Robert Williams III

Last season was not kind to the Blazers without Damian Lillard. Portland finished the year with only 21 wins, their second-fewest in franchise history. This year has not gone much better for Chauncey Billups and his Portland squad, as they’re currently 14-28 overall.

Amid their rebuild, the Blazers have seen Scoot Henderson take a step in the right direction next to Anfernee Simons in their backcourt. It has also become clearer that rookie big man Donovan Clingan is the future of this franchise’s frontcourt given Deandre Ayton’s struggles and uncertainty in Portland.

At some point, the Blazers will be forced to decide between Williams, Ayton, and Duop Reath — three players who won’t remain in this team’s frontcourt long-term. Ahead of the trade deadline, sources said, Reath is another low-cost big man who has generated interest from multiple playoff-contending teams. Ayton holds virtually no market at this juncture.

Finding a balance at the center position will be key for this organization, which is why Ayton is starting to look like the odd man out in Portland and the player they would rather trade in their frontcourt, sources said. So, what does this mean for Williams’ status with the Blazers?

Portland still isn’t sold one way or the other on trading Williams and is simply feeling out the market for what a possible return for him could look like over the next two weeks. A decision to possibly trade Williams will come down to whether the Blazers believe they are getting a good enough return for a player they specifically wanted from the Celtics.

As far as the Rockets’ pursuit of Williams goes, two expiring salaries of Landale and Tate likely wouldn’t move the needle, even if multiple second-round picks were attached to said deal. If Houston were to offer Landale, Whitmore, and two or three second-round picks, that should get Portland’s stamp of approval.

The Rockets like Williams and believe his skill set is exactly what they lack in the frontcourt at the moment. Whether or not Houston looks to capitalize on its championship potential this season by bolstering the frontcourt with a name Udoka is familiar with remains to be seen.