We had our first successful business of the season late Tuesday night when the New York Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a slew of first-round picks and pick swaps. win-win situation for both partiesbut while all of this was making headlines, the Houston Rockets snuck into a trade with the Nets to exchange draft assets.
The Rockets returned to the Nets their 2026 first-round pick that they sent to Houston as part of the deal they made for James Harden in 2021, and gave up the rights to trade Brooklyn’s 2025 first-round pick as part of the same deal. In return, the Rockets got an unprotected 2027 first-round pick (via the Suns), a 2029 first-round pick (via the more favorable of the Suns or Mavericks) and two pick swaps in 2025 and 2029.
It was a smart move for Houston, which also still holds the third overall pick in Wednesday night’s draft. And with all of these assets now in tow, they could easily go after a superstar caliber player, like Kevin Durant, who they are rumored to be interested in trading for this summer. The Suns have maintained they want to compete for next season with Durant on the roster, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, but the Rockets are in the unique position of offering the Suns the picks Phoenix sent to Brooklyn to acquire Durant in first place.
From Phoenix’s perspective, while they probably don’t want to part with Durant right now, if the Rockets offer a haul for KD, or even Devin Booker, can you really say no? Even though Durant’s short tenure with the Suns didn’t go as planned in part due to injuries, the fact remains that he and Booker failed to advance to the second round of the playoffs playoffs. And after trading for Bradley Beal last summer in an effort to create an offensively potent Big Three, the Suns have struggled this season due to their lack of depth. This problem won’t go away next season, as they are expected to far exceed the luxury tax paid to their three stars.
The Rockets could offer Durant several firsts and are at least toying with the idea of trading rising young star Alperen Sengun, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. While trading Sengun seems surprising given the exceptional third season If Houston drafts someone like UConn center Donovan Clingan, who CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish mocked for going to the Rockets with the No. 3 pick, that could pave the way. door for Sengun to be moved.
When Sengun missed the final 18 games of the season with a Grade 3 ankle sprain, the Rockets immediately went on a nine-game winning streak and finished the year with a 12-6 record and a legitimate push for the last play-in place in the West. Perhaps Houston can rationalize this latest push without Sengun as proof that they could play well without him.
If that’s what the Rockets are thinking and Sengun is available in a trade with the Suns in addition to additional assets, you need to at least listen to the offer. Sengun is only 21 years old and has made great strides in his development. He could be a key part of a team that is gradually rebuilding itself. If one thinks the KD/Booker/Beal experiment doesn’t work, this could be the perfect escape plan for a Suns team with an incredibly roster-heavy roster in a Western Conference that isn’t getting any easier.
And if it’s not Durant, the Rockets can take their treasure trove to someone else. They were reportedly interested in other All-Star players like Jimmy Butler and Paul George. It’s clear that Houston intends to make some sort of dramatic move this offseason in hopes of contending for a playoff spot next season, it’s just a matter of which team takes the bait.
News Source : www.cbssports.com
Gn sports
