The Houston Rockets are 21-9 in the West this season, currently occupying the No. 2 seed and looking like contenders in the Conference. They have seemingly emerged out of nowhere, with coach Ime Udoka improving their winning rate from exactly .500 last season to an over 50-win pace this year. They should return to the Playoffs after five seasons and could do it with a superstar on their roster.
The Sacramento Kings have lost their last five games, falling deeper into the lottery despite wanting to be contenders in the West. With franchise point guard De’Aaron Fox declining an extension and being brought up in trade rumors now, the Rockets could add a major piece to their roster to make an all-in push for a championship in the coming seasons.
Trade Details
Houston Rockets Receive: De’Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis
Sacramento Kings Receive: Reed Sheppard, Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, 2025 First-Round Pick (OKC/PHX), 2027 First-Round Pick (PHX), 2028 First-Round Pick (HOU), 2029 First-Round Pick (DAL/PHX)
The Rockets acquire Fox to be their superstar point guard in this deal. He’s proven to be a great team leader, active defender, and closer, all facets that the Rockets could use. He would transform the team’s offense as a one-man engine but with the pieces around that can really support him on both ends of the court. The Kings part with a franchise legend but gain pieces that could bring them back on the right path.
Rockets Build Themselves A Contender For The Remainder Of The Decade
The Rockets were one of the best teams of the 2010s but started this decade by beginning a rebuild which saw James Harden get traded. They’ve been in the lottery every season since, with last year’s 41-41 record not being enough for a Play-In spot. The team looks set for a Playoff appearance, but instead of being inexperienced first-round exits, they can add a major piece to be their difference-maker.
De’Aaron Fox is averaging 26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists this season. His only big flaw as an offensive player is his three-point shooting, but he makes up for it by excelling at every other facet. He’s a capable playmaker, can play off-ball if required, and defends with high intensity. His addition would relegate Fred VanVleet to either the sixth man or the two-guard, with Jalen Green and Amen Thompson forming a versatile guard rotation.
Giving up high-potential young pieces can bite them in a few years, but ensuring high-level defenders such as Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and others stay on the roster is a major plus. Whitmore and Sheppard aren’t in the teams’ rotation right now, as this deal is a clear win-now push from the Rockets to become a major threat in the West for the next five to six years with Fox.
Kings Rebuild With Premium Future Assets
The Sacramento Kings didn’t want to be rebuilt just two years after they ended a 16-year Playoff drought, but it looks like the roster is too far gone to convince Fox to commit to staying with them long-term.
Instead of becoming the Chicago Bulls of the West by failing to contend every season, the Kings should take the OKC Thunder route and tear their roster up for future assets. Dealing Fox will naturally bring back the absolute best pieces.
Reed Sheppard is averaging 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists this season, but it’s because the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has barely played for Houston. Many considered him to be the best player in the 2024 Draft Class, so the Kings could give him the opportunity he deserves to develop on the court.
Cam Whitmore is gradually progressing in Houston but the forward hasn’t locked down a rotational role either. He’s averaging 8.8 points and 2.3 rebounds this season but is a high-ceiling prospect who might thrive with more opportunity.
Dillon Brooks is averaging 13.6 points and 4.0 rebounds, with his inclusion mandatory to ensure salaries work. Brooks can be a valuable trade piece given how he’s rehabilitated his value in Houston as a gritty winning player.
Trading Fox can be the precursor to a roster blowup which could land the Kings an entirely new franchise in terms of draft assets with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk as additional trade pieces.
The Rockets Push For A Title And The Kings Build Towards A New Future
The Kings need to realize that they’ve come as far as they could with De’Aaron Fox unless they wanna empty their future assets in trades to drastically reshape the team around him. Instead, landing pieces like Whitmore and Sheppard for the future along with premium draft picks primarily from the Phoenix Suns might be better.
Those picks are considered some of the most valuable in the NBA right now while these players have extremely high developmental potential. At the same time, the Rockets are perfectly designed to maximize Fox’s skill set with their defensive focus and floor-spacing options to give him more space on offense.
It marks two very different directions for the two West teams, but these directions might be best for each franchise in their current situation.
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