Grade the Mock Trade: Kyrie Irving comes at the cost of beloved veteran for Rockets

The Houston Rockets have been linked to Kyrie Irving on many occasions. An NBA insider is making that linkage again with a new trade proposal. He gets the market value right, but it's still a trade the Rockets should decline.

That would be CBS Sports' Sam Quinn. Let me take a moment for some kindness: Quinn's trade proposals are consistently grounded. He understands market value well. Quinn is never going to have an NBA team giving up more than they ought to.

Here are the details of his latest proposal:

That's likely what Irving would cost the Rockets. So, this is a reasonable proposal:

Yet, I strongly disagree with its internal logic.

Rockets must facilitate young guard's growth

Firstly, there is one flaw in Quinn's logic. He argues that the Rockets could tell VanVleet that Reed Sheppard has "usurped his place in their long-term plans". Right:

But wouldn't the same apply to Irving?

If anything, VanVleet is the better fit alongside Sheppard. He's a better defender than Irving, so he's got more off-ball value. There's also the gulf between the two in terms of off-court value. VanVleet is a mentor. Irving is...well, Kyrie Irving.

Sheppard's development should change the entire conversation. He's suddenly got superstar potential, so the Rockets shouldn't be acquiring a superstar guard. Sheppard could be an All-Star caliber player as soon as next season. Why put an obstacle in his way?

Moreover, why part with a valuable first-round pick for a star guard if the Rockets already have a player who's trending towards star guard status? That's before considering Finney-Smith. He hasn't suited up for the Rockets yet, but they'd surely like to see how they look with an elite 3-and-D wing in the rotation.

There's every reason to keep everything the Rockets are giving up in this deal, and real reasons to avoid Irving as well.

Rockets don't need Kyrie Irving

I won't belabour the point, but it bears mention. Trouble has followed Irving throughout his NBA career. He is undeniably a risk.

The Rockets don't need to be taking risks. They're playing well. They ought to leave well enough alone and let the Mavericks find another landing spot for Irving.

Again, this is a valid proposal. It's balanced in terms of trade value. Irving's riskiness depreciates his market value, and that seems baked into Quinn's proposal:

But as fair as the proposal is, it's worse than simply not making the proposal at all.

Grade: B-