There's no question Houston has the ammunition to pull off a blockbuster trade tonight with any number of teams as they currently own three first round draft picks after sending Chase Budinger to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the #18 pick on Tuesday (they already owned the #14 and #16 picks).
While it's unknown if the Rockets have officially made any offers for him yet, it's almost certain they will make an attempt to land Howard from the Magic with their haul of draft picks before moving on to other players of interest.
The craziest part about Houston's infatuation with the perennial All-Star center is the fact that it's almost certain that he would not re-sign with the Rockets next summer when he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
However, anything is possible if they somehow manage to pull off a deal with Orlando, as he could fall in love with the city of Houston and/or the fan base and decide to stay with a long-term deal in free agency.
He might decide to stay with the Rockets even if he isn't crazy about the franchise, as they would be able to offer an extra year and more money than any other team could in free agency if he is on their roster when he hits the market.
Almost everyone on the Rocket's current roster has been linked to trade rumors and could likely be had by Orlando, along with the draft picks, should they decide to send Howard to Houston.
Kyle Lowry is almost certain to be moved prior to or during the draft tonight, as he is publicly stated he wanted to be traded amidst an apparent irreparable relationship between him and head coach Kevin McHale.
The Rockets have reportedly offered him to the Sacramento Kings, along with the #14 and #16 picks, in exchange for Tyreke Evans and the #5 pick according to DraftExpress.com.
Houston also has been linked to trades involving the Toronto Raptors and their #8 pick, as the Rockets reportedly would like to draft center Andre Drummond out of Connecticut if they fail to land Howard from the Magic.
With the team clearly interested in upgrading the center position one way or another, the Rockets have also reportedly made Samuel Dalembert available, according to HoopsWorld, trying to attach with him with one or more of their picks in attempt to move up in the draft or land a proven veteran.
Earlier this month, HoopsWorld also reported the Rockets had expressed interest in Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers and Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers.
Either of those players could likely be had be had with a package of Kevin Martin (expiring contract) or Luis Scola and a pair of their three draft picks if the Rockets decided to go in one of those directions.
The Lakers have reportedly been interested in trading him should the right offer come along, and quite frankly, they likely won't receive a better offer for him than Houston could offer with their plethora of draft picks and talented players.
With so many options open to them, and with so many assets stock-piled together, the Rockets have a real chance of pulling off at least a semi-blockbuster move (or two) during tonight's draft as it's highly unlikely they will stand pat and hold onto all three of their draft picks and not either move up or deal for an All-Star.
The real question for Houston is which superstar(s) will the Rockets ultimately land or how far up the draft board will they climb with their U-Haul full of assets?
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