[ESPN] Grading the trade deadline: Rockets

Feb. 20: Houston shuffles power forwards

According to reports, the Rockets send center Cole Aldrich, guard Toney Douglas, forward Patrick Patterson and cash to the Kings in exchange for forwards Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt and Thomas Robinson, and send forward Marcus Morris to the Suns in exchange for a second-round pick.

Houston: B+

As of Tuesday, the Rockets had a Kentucky player and a Kansas player as their rotation at power forward. Now, they still might have the same thing, only different players. Houston sent out starter Patrick Patterson and backup Marcus Morris, landing Thomas Robinson as the centerpiece of a three-player package that also includes a second-round pick.

Let's start with the obvious: Robinson hasn't been very good as a rookie. He has had a tough time dealing with shot-blockers in the paint and is getting more than 10 percent of his shots rejected, per Hoopdata.com, one reason he's shooting just 42.9 percent from the field. Surprisingly, Robinson's performance is more or less in line with his translated junior season at Kansas, which earned him consensus All-America honors.

Robinson was much more efficient as a sophomore, when he backed up Marcus Morris and twin brother Markieff, and supplied energy off the bench. There have been nights when Robinson has embraced a similar role for the Kings, but he'll have to do it on a regular basis to become a valuable NBA contributor. And he must cut out bad shot attempts and the overdribbling that has caused him to turn the ball over on nearly 20 percent of his plays. Having teammates such as Jeremy Lin and James Harden capable of setting him up will help Robinson, who has been assisted on less than half of his field goals.

The Rockets could take a chance on Robinson because of their depth and flexibility. The small lineup that started Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City, with Carlos Delfino at small forward and Chandler Parsons sliding down to the 4, probably will continue to get run. Rookie Donatas Motiejunas has started to play well, and Terrence Jones could also be in this mix. From this group, Houston will hope one power forward emerges.

Daryl Morey isn't done yet. The Rockets still have about $5 million in cap room to add an expiring contract for the playoff run before the deadline. They also might continue the pursuit of Josh Smith; Robinson and the other players they added (Garcia has a team option next season that is effectively an expiring contract) can be aggregated in a multiplayer deal because Houston is under the cap. Even if the Rockets don't do anything now, they'll be players this summer. Dealing Marcus Morris means Houston shaved $1.5 million off the 2013-14 payroll and now should have enough room for a max offer to Smith or Dwight Howard.


Sacramento: D

Let's start with the positive. Patterson is, today, a better player than Robinson. He's also plausibly a better fit next to DeMarcus Cousins because of his ability to space the floor. So the Kings have improved somewhat for the rest of a season that's on the Sleep Train to nowhere. All that will do is hurt their draft pick. Their focus, obviously, should be on the future, and there the story is much murkier -- even before we consider the pending sale of the team to new owners who don't yet have any say in operations.

First, Patterson has a year and a half left on his rookie contract. Robinson has three-plus cost-controlled seasons, and teams rely on the value players provide before hitting free agency. Second, Robinson is nearly two years younger than the 23-year-old Patterson, who has essentially maxed out his value as a fringe starter or quality reserve. As poorly as Robinson has played as a rookie, his upside is much higher.

We're not even eight months removed from Sacramento drafting Robinson over Damian Lillard and Andre Drummond and nobody batting an eye. So even if you believe Patterson is the better player and that he'll help former Kentucky teammate Cousins, that's not the only criteria for a good trade. It's hard to believe that, if the Kings had made up their minds to move Robinson, they couldn't have at least gotten some kind of draft pick or cap relief out of the deal. Instead, they prioritized saving money (about $1.3 million in payroll the rest of the season, plus $1 million in cash, according to USA Today) over a brighter future.


Phoenix: A

Of the three power forwards in this deal, Morris has the best three-year SCHOENE projection. If he keeps up his 38 percent shooting from 3-point range and can improve his strength to deal with bigger opponents, Morris has a chance to become a starter in this league. Getting such a player with two years left on his rookie contract for a second-round pick is excellent value. The only real downside from the Suns' perspective is that they suddenly have two brothers and only one power forward position. Marcus planned to move to the perimeter as a pro, but he has been more effective since becoming a stretch 4 this season. As a result, he'll battle twin brother Markieff for playing time. In the short term, Phoenix can make room for both by using Luis Scola as a backup center if Jermaine O'Neal is traded before the deadline.

Source: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/TradeGrades-130221/nba-grading-trade-deadline-deals