Rockets acquire Suns picks, return Nets picks to Brooklyn

Is reeves a superstar? Does he have superstar potential maybe maybe not. You guys are underrating Dillon brooks . Yes I understand the luggage that he comes with but still

 

You are explaining your own personal preference, while others are trying to explain what Stone is thinking.

You would prefer to keep one pick, hope all of the pieces fall right and that pick wins the lottery. Then you use it to take the top prospect and hope that everything goes right and he becomes the best pick of the draft. Fine. You like to gamble.

Stone has spent years making picks, trading up and back, hoping that those players pan out. He’s filled out the roster with young talent. He wants to make a trade for a star. To do that, he needs more picks. We just saw the Knicks give up 5 first round pick for a player that’s never even been an All-Star.

This may not fit into the plans of everyone who was looking at single picks and where they might fall in the future, but it was a great deal for the set who always saw those picks as one big asset to be used as a facilitator for an established player. And that asset just increased in value.

 

I like this more today than I did wheen I first heard about it but it's still a big risk trading what were very good Nets picks for a bag of magic beans but I can see the upside

 

Yea, I think this is the essential question -- did the Rockets squeeze Brooklyn hard enough? The trade is a net positive for all 3 teams, but we might have been able to get more by turning the screws on Brooklyn. These kinds of moves might get you a little extra but also tend to damage relationships. Less straightforward to evaluate.

 

the idea of trading 22yr old Sengun for old man Durant makes me physically ill.

 

Yeah, this is something I hadn't thought about initially. Partly because I'd mistakenly assumed we gave back all the Brooklyn picks.

But now that the Nets are going full steam ahead with nuking their roster, that 2027 swap is gonna be nice. Keep in mind that full rebuilds take years. Philly's "Process" was like half a decade. Even the Rockets who did great with their picks(along with other teams' picks that turned into Tari and Cam) needed 3 years to completely rebuild their roster.

Unless Brooklyn has another huge offseason free agency score like when they got Durant and Irving, they're gonna suck in the 2026-27 season.

 

I think Brooks is a good player and will make a difference with the Lakers. We already have 2 guys that are better than him at SF which is the only position he can play. Brooks needs to be jettisoned to free minutes for Amen, Tari, and Cam. The real question is Reeves a better gamble than Sheppard.

 

And who knows, maybe we (via the Suns pick) are in the lottery next year to begin with.

 

I’m explaining why constantly saying the same thing over and over doesn’t make it better.

as of right now from what we know of what the nets will be and the Suns will be and what those drafts are lined up to be the 2025 pick and a high shot at the top one or two picks is more valuable than everything we got back from the nets almost …if not actually … That’s not my personal preference that’s simple fact.

Could that change? Yes, is there another move? Could that change it? But as of right now it’s not a good trade. I don’t care how you spin it.

 

The ones you mentioned are in Daryl's era; quite a while ago. And I feel the league overall has gotten more savvy and analytical based.

Are there still those deals, sure, but maybe less than before. Rockets was rumored in the Caruso sweepstakes, but Presti beat (not just us) but other GMs to it.

 

“But Houston’s involvement in swapping picks with the Nets, per team and league sources, was less about any perceived rushed attempt at adding a superstar and more about an asset opportunity that presented itself.

The Rockets still have interest in acquiring a star during this rebuild, team sources said, but age, timeline, contract flexibility — and most importantly, timing — are all factors that will play a part in their search. The current superstar market is less than desirable; Kevin Durant is fond of head coach Ime Udoka but he will turn 36 before next season and will make north of $50 million, Donovan Mitchell is of long-standing interest but looks set to re-sign in Cleveland and Brandon Ingram is someone the organization viewed in a similar tier as Bridges.

• Circling back to Brooklyn, this was not the first time the Rockets had engaged the Nets in acquiring the Phoenix Suns’ draft capital. During initial conversations, it was communicated to Houston that Brooklyn planned to keep Bridges, hoping to use the Suns’ picks to trade for a star like Donovan Mitchell or Damian Lillard to pair with the 27-year-old forward. Whether you want to attribute it to stubbornness on the Nets’ part or determination to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, Brooklyn refused to accept Houston’s previous offer, even as tempting as it might have been to regain control of their future first-round picks.

In last month’s version 1.0 of our draft notebook, The Athleticreported the Rockets maintained a strong interest in the Suns’ picks and planned to revisit discussions with the Nets before the draft. Before last season’s trade deadline, the Rockets expressed a desire to add Bridges but not at the price the Nets were asking, team sources said. Houston’s brass trusted two things would happen: a) the Nets would find it difficult to attract a second star, and b) they would realize owning their first-round picks with a murky future would be important.

Per team sources, the Rockets had no prior intel if Bridges forced the Nets’ hand and requested to be sent to the Knicks or not but had always left the door open for renegotiations. Brooklyn couldn’t trade away its franchise centerpiece without having control of its own assets moving forward, which naturally brought Houston back to the table on Tuesday evening.

• The Rockets are now essentially in control of the Suns’ 2025 and 2027 first-round picks, still have the Nets’ 2027 first (in addition to their own 2027 first) and have the right to choose the more favorable 2029 first-round pick between Dallas and Phoenix, a team source confirmed. In 2028 and 2029, Houston also has its own first-round pick.

This is a considerable amount of draft capital for the flexibility the Rockets desire, but it won’t necessarily impact their draft plans on Wednesday, team sources maintain. Houston still has an appetite for more.”

“Similar to the deal with Brooklyn, the Rockets are seeking future assets with high upside if they were to trade down from the third pick, team and league sources said — ideally with little to no protections — with an eye for moves down the line. Several lottery teams have already offered a pick in Wednesday’s draft along with a future pick, but there are also offers that don’t include a 2024 first at all. There’s a growing sense the Rockets are waiting until they are on the clock to see if interested parties get aggressive and improve offers, especially depending on whomever the Hawks and Wizardsselect at No. 1 and 2.”

 

So when you consider all the trades and how Phoenix roster looks like today, I am pretty sure the Rockets will be going after Booker likely next year.

The chances of Booker spending his whole life in Phoenix are minimal. After 10 seasons, roster and coaching changes for him personally I see only one option, to go somewhere else.

Durant will be gone...Beal is 31 and showing signs of fatigue, their window for success is closing rapidly, like next year all or nothing...I dont see it happening, the season will be another disappointment and the hunt is on

 

It's not unthinkable. Phoenix was 6th in the West this past season. Every team ahead of them save for maybe the Clippers(depending on health and free agency) will remain there. Memphis, Sactown, and Houston could all leap past the Suns in the standings. The Lakers are always an X-factor and won only 2 fewer games than Phoenix last year. And the Pelicans already matched the Suns in wins last season(although they were seeded 8th).

Any finish between 7th and 10th puts Phoenix in the play-in picture which means they could wind up in the lottery.

 

This is Windhorst speculating and not from any real intel, and I am 99.9% certain he is speculating wrong

 

Only if he keeps them. My fear is that he'll trade some of the core for an aging star, and we get to go one round further in the playoffs for a couple of years while watching one or two of the traded guys blow up for someone else's team.

 

0% chance...

Might as well have said before Barnes extension could raptors move Barnes for Durant.

Makes no sense for where we are at.

You could go for Clingan as a starter and Durant but after 2 years what do you have to show for it? Another Capela instead of Jokic?

 

Windhorst is in that bubble, smelling his own farts too long.
Trade 22 year-old Alperen Sengun and whatever else for Durant?
For f***'s sake, people. stop.

 

Yup. The national media just know the Rockets would like to acquire a star (who wouldn't?) which they've indicated so teams come to them and then they fill in the gaps on who that may be. We just got Suns picks which are uniquely valuable to the Suns, well that's an easy tweet to send on how they are in a unique place to get KD or Booker. Doesn't mean we are in active talks for KD. Doesn't mean the Rockets aren't aware that he is about to be 36. It's national media speculation filling in gaps because having real names gets more clicks.

Trust the local beat reporters more than the national guys, the ears aren't to the ground with those guys and there's a lot more speculation.

 

They bet is the suns over the next 4 years versus the Nets over the next 2.

For the reasons you mentioned, I'm ok hedging with some Phoenix failure...