Ime Udoka, Rockets Eyeing Ex-Celtics Guard Malcolm Brogdon?

Former Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon didn’t get to play under now-current Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka in Boston, but might that all change with opening night for the 2023-24 season just days away?

Brogdon was dealt from Boston to Portland after winning Sixth Man of the Year for the Celtics and complying with a sacrificial role off the bench. Yet, with the front office and company considering Boston’s unacceptable playoff exit to a No. 8 seeded Miami Heat team, changes needed to be made, and Brogdon didn’t survive the wave of offseason departures.

That placed Brogdon in a young, non-contending Trail Blazers team, providing a new opportunity that the 30-year-old has welcomed. It’s also re-opened a chance for teams across the league, like the Rockets, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, to re-engage in Brogdon trade talks.

“Sources said Houston has also eyed veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was traded recently to Portland in the Celtics’ acquisition of All-Star Jrue Holiday, although the Trail Blazers and Rockets have not held significant conversations,” Fischer wrote Tuesday.

Like the Trail Blazers, the Rockets are also undergoing their own rebuild, drafting Amen Thompson fourth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and signing All-Star guard Fred VanVleet to a three-year, $128 million contract.

Brogdon checks a lot of boxes for teams, both contending and amid a rebuilding stage, that organizations should hunt down.

But again, it’s unknown whether or not Brogdon even wants out of Portland after having already undergone an offseason filled with rumors and instability with Boston.

“I want to be here,” Brogdon informed reporters at Trail Blazers training camp on Oct. 7, per team-provided video. “There’s a lot of misleading information out there about they need to trade me or I want to go to (a contender). Right now I’m trying to make the most of my opportunity. That’s really what it is, and right now it’s assuming a leadership role with these young guys and I’m embracing that.”