While this past year has been perhaps especially rough with the departures, there have certainly been other top stars who have left Houston before that. The Rockets traded McGrady in 2010 to the New York Knicks in a 3-team deal. Midway through the 1987 season, the Rockets traded Sampson and Steve Harris for Sleepy Floyd and Joe Barry Carroll. Moses Malone - 1982A two-time NBA MVP with the Houston Rockets, Moses Malone left in 1982 as a restricted free agent. Houston traded the aging winger to Sporting Kansas City before the 2016 season, and Davis retired after that season.