In what NBA beat writer Brian Windhorst described as “nothing like he had ever seen” in his two decades covering basketball, the Rockets made a wild trade Tuesday night swapping draft picks and the rights to future pick swaps with the Brooklyn Nets. They followed that up by selecting the guy many thought they would in sharp shooting Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard with the third pick in the draft.
We will try to break it all down for you.
First, the trade. What in the hell was this all about? The Rockets had a virtual lock on Brooklyn’s picks over the next few drafts thanks to the trade of James Harden way back in January of 2021. There had been discussions about sending some or all of those picks back to Brooklyn in exchange for Mikal Bridges, but instead, the Nets moved him to the Knicks for four first round draft picks.
Shortly after, the trade between the Nets and Rockets was announced by the teams:
Rockets get:
In 2025, the rights to swap either their own first round pick or Oklahoma City’s first round pick in exchange for Phoenix’s first round pick.
Phoenix’s first round pick in 2027.
In 2029, the rights to the more favorable of either Dallas’ or Phoenix’s first round pick in addition to the right to swap their own first round pick for the less favorable of either Dallas’ or Phoenix’s first round pick.Nets get:
In 2025, the right to swap either their first round pick or Oklahoma City’s first round pick in exchange for Brooklyn’s first round pick.
Brooklyn’s first round pick in 2026.
What followed was a ton of wild speculation that controlling the Suns picks as they now do would lead the Rockets to leverage those into Kevin Durant in what assuredly would have been a blockbuster trade. That did not materialize, but the value of the picks remain high given that Phoenix will likely be on the downward side of their title run in 2027 and 2029. Additionally, with guard Devin Booker potentially heading for free agency in the next few years, this could offer the Rockets bargaining position for a different Suns star in Booker.
Ultimately, the deal confused many in the NBA and led to the belief that the No. 3 pick would be up for grabs with a combination of other picks and players. That didn’t happen either as the Rockets selected Sheppard, a player slated for the Rockets on many mock drafts.
Got it?
So, what does it actually all mean?
Rockets GM Rafael Stone is cut from the same cloth as former GM Daryl Morey. He believes in leveraging as many assets as possible to put yourself in a position to make deals when the time is right. The deal for Harden landed them a boatload of assets that resulted in some very promising young players and flexibility they need to make additional deals. Now, they are one of the more talented young teams in the NBA.
The trade, which pushed off their draft options for a couple of years, makes sense if they indeed are going to roll with this young squad, which it appears they are. Those later picks make more sense because they position themselves for trades to bring in veterans they will need to shore up playoff runs.
Additionally, it allowed them the flexibility to draft for need rather than for best available. That is particularly helpful in a draft that, by all measures, was weaker on talent than any in the last five years. And what the Rockets desperately need is shooters, which is why they took Sheppard.
Out of Kentucky, the 20-year-old is the best pure shooter in the draft, hitting better than 50 percent from both inside and outside the arc last year. He’s a sneaky athlete with good instincts and real talents on the defensive side of the ball even if no one would consider him jump-out-of-the-gym gifted. Even as a rookie, he has the potential to be the team’s best distance shooter, a skill they sorely lack.
Round two is Thursday night and the Rockets still have a pick remaining. There is also more wheeling and dealing to be done which, hopefully, won’t just include draft pick swaps. Stone is a smart guy. Let’s hope these kinds of deals are him playing chess while we all sit around with our checkers boards trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Regardless, Sheppard should be a welcome addition to a team that desperately needs to improve its shooting this season.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
