As the Houston Rockets have built out their championship-ready core, their front office has remained one of the most savvy in the league, not only drafting well but also leveraging their draft capital and young players to improve the team's outlook.
While the most salient example of this is the blockbuster move they made for Kevin Durant this past offseason, a deal with the Brooklyn Nets in 2024, which yielded Houston two of the Phoenix Suns' first-round draft picks, may have landed them one of the most valuable trade chips in the league.
Even following their acquisition of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Khaman Maluach in the Durant trade, Phoenix is still in a confusing spot as an organization, and, if they continue to trend downward, the Rockets could yet again be in a position to move a high lottery pick in exchange for another star.