Houston Rockets rumors are swirling after they completed a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday evening. There were a lot of picks on the move, and no players, as Houston reportedly could set their sights on acquiring Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns.
The Rockets are sending the Nets their 2026 first-round pick back and removed the pick swap on the 2025 pick. In exchange, they received a 2025 pick swap (lesser of Rockets or Thunder for Suns), a 2027 first-round pick via Phoenix, a 2029 first-round pick (more favorable of Dallas or Phoenix) and a 2029 first-round pick swap (less favorable of Dallas or Phoenix).
That is a great job by the Rockets extracting value from the Nets, who are entering a rebuild. Getting their own selections back from the James Harden trade was their No. 1 goal after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks.
With a treasure trove of assets, Rockets rumors have picked up. According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, they could use those assets to make a run at Kevin Durant. Phoenix is hesitant to make such a move right now, but should things go south, Houston has their picks to trade back to them.
“Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night that one possible end goal for Houston is using those picks to acquire Durant, which would be ironic given Phoenix originally gave up the picks for Durant — and the Rockets landed the Nets’ picks when they sent Harden to Brooklyn to team with Durant.
Per Wojnarowski, the Suns are reluctant to make such a move now, meaning Houston will explore using the Phoenix picks to add another veteran star to a talented young core that surged late in the 2023-24 regular season. Whether trying to win now is the right end game for the Rockets is unclear depending on the player and the value, but either way Houston comes out of this deal ahead in terms of tradeable picks,” wrote Kevin Pelton of ESPN.
The 2024 NBA Draft will provide some insight into what the Rockets are planning. They will be on the clock at No. 3, with a selection via the Nets. If Donovan Clingan is on the board, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes they could look to select him and use Alperen Sengun as a trade chip with the Suns.
“One thing I want to point out: watch what the Rockets do tonight with the number three pick. This is one of the most important moments of the draft, and in many cases, this is where the draft kind of starts. If the Rockets take Donovan Clingan out of UConn, another center, which is an option for them, and now have a bunch of centers on their roster, that would potentially enable them to make Alperen Sengun, their very talented young Turkish center, available in that type of trade to dangle in front of the Suns,” said Windhorst on ESPN’s Get Up, via NBA Central on X.
Expect Rockets rumors to continue up until and through the 2024 NBA Draft. They have the assets to swing a major trade should the opportunity present itself, building upon their success in the 2023-24 season.
Do you want the latest news, updates, and rumors surrounding all sports? Click here. Make sure to check out our sister sites as well: NFL Analysis Network, NBA Analysis Network, Packers Coverage.
