What it would take for Houston Rockets to trade Corey Brewer

Countdown to NBA trade deadline February 18: What it would take for the Houston Rockets to trade Corey Brewer

Before the mid season trade that brought the two-time NCAA champion to Houston, one of the biggest weaknesses the Rockets faced was the play from their bench. Especially a consistent backup for James Harden. Daryl Morey then made a bold move and traded for Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Not only did Brewer become a major upgrade to the Rockets’ bench, but helped improve Houston on the defensive end with his perimeter defense. At the start of the 2015-16 season, he seemed liked a solid contender for Sixth Man of the Year. During the preseason, he was the Rocket’s second leading scorer averaging 16.0 points per game.

Unfortunately, Brewer has not lived up to his preseason exceptions. In his worst season since his rookie year, Brewer has shot 38 percent from the field, and a horrendous 29 percent from behind the arc. Thankfully over the last 10 games, Brewer have improved his play on both ends of the floor. Just last Thursday he posted a season best 24 points and 4 steals in a 111-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Now with the trade deadline a week away, what will it take for Morey to trade the 2011 NBA Champion. (Dallas Mavericks)

What Rockets could offer

For those who may not be familiar with his game, just think of Darren Collison as an upgraded version of Patrick Beverley. Since the disappointment of Ty Lawson, the Rockets have yet to acquire a point guard they can trust with the ball in their hands. With Collison, Houston will finally have a legitimate play maker who can facilitate, and help the game become easier for Harden and Dwight Howard.

Along with his play-making abilities, Collison has established a great mid range game throughout his career. With a career average of 12.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting, Collison can easily become the Rockets’ third scoring option. His defense is not to be overlooked. Over the past six seasons, Collison have posted 1.2 steals per game.

While playing behind Chris Paul and now Rajon Rondo, Collison has not received the opportunity to showcase his full potential. However, if he does get the chance to come to Houston, perhaps Collison could become one of the league’s best floor generals.

Acquiring Kosta Koufos from the Kings will be a great move as well. He will not make much of a difference on offense, but his biggest contribution would come on the defensive end.

Standing 7’0” and weighing 265 pounds, the Rockets would no longer be undersized when Howard is not in the game. Koufos is a solid rebounder and shot blocker that can protect the paint for Clutch City. For a team who is ranked as the third worst defense in the league, the Rockets need all the defensive help they can get.

As for the Kings, adding Patrick Beverly and Corey Brewer will be great additions to their team. The Kings are currently ranked as the league’s worst defense allowing 109.1 points per game, and most of their defensive problems comes from the perimeter. If the Kings are looking for players that can help their perimeter defense, look no farther than Beverly and Brewer.

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It’s obvious that Brewer does not fit into J.B. Bickerstaff‘s system too well. So rejoining him with George Karl will be great for his career. During the 2012-13 season with the Denver Nuggets, Brewer had the best year of his career as he averaged 12.1 points, 1.4 steals, while shooting 42 percent from the field.

So under Karl on offense, Brewer may once again become a scoring threat. With their defensive struggles, Brewer would also upgrade the King’s defense.

As for Beverley, on offense, the Kings will continue to provide Rondo with a consistent back up, who can also take the defensive burden off his shoulders. Also, due to the amount of double teams DeMarcus Cousins received on a nightly basis, Beverley would get more open 3-point shots from the corner.

Odds trade will occur:

As much as I like would like to welcome Darren Collison and Kosta Koufos to Clutch City, it seem highly unlikely that this trade will happen.

It’s a long shot and it does not hurt to try. Especially for two teams trying to make a postseason run after the All-Star break. As frustrating as this season has been, the Houston Rockets should be willing to make a trade for anyone.

Next: Countdown to the deadline series

With the trade deadline around the corner, make sure you visit Space City Scoop on a daily basis for our trade series. Each day, SCS will feature an article on who the Rockets should trade for or what it would take to part ways with the players currently on the roster. Finally, we’ll assess the Rockets and each team in the Association in terms of what their needs are, if they should be buyers or sellers, and also speculate on who would be the ideal trade target.

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