Grading a short-sighted trade proposal that has Rockets abandoning promising guard

The Houston Rockets don't know what to expect from Reed Sheppard in 2025-26. A new trade proposal has them flipping him for Norman Powell before they even find out.

Talk about an overreaction.

Yes, losing Fred VanVleet stings. The Rockets are undeniably light on guard talent. It's likely to be a problem throughout the year.

That doesn't mean cutting ties with Sheppard for Norman Powell makes an iota of sense.

New Rockets trade proposal is patently absurd

Let's look at the details .

So, it's not just Sheppard. The Rockets are also tacking Steven Adams onto this deal like he's inconsequential. Adams was a big part of last year's success. He's obviously not untouchable, but the Rockets won't include him as salary fodder unless they're getting a star in return.

It's also a bit painful to be the team sending out draft capital here. If Sheppard's trade value has dipped so low that you'd have to include two second-round picks next to him just to get Norman Powell, it would be far more sensible to hang onto Sheppard and hope he bolsters his value.

That's not a knock on Powell. He's good. Powell had a career year in 2024-25, averaging 21.8 points on 61.5% True Shooting % (TS%) in 60 games for the Clippers.

You know what they say about 32-year-old guards who have career years. OK, fine, maybe it's not a common colloquialism. Here's what they should say: they may not replicate their success. It's quite likely that Powell just had the best year of his career.

Sheppard likely just had his worst.

Rockets' Reed Sheppard still holds potential

Yes, Sheppard's rookie campaign was challenging. There were few high points.

Make conclusions about an NBA career based on one rookie season at your own peril.

It's worth remembering who Sheppard was as a prospect. He shot an astonishing 52.1% from long range and averaged 2.5 steals per game for Kentucky in 2023-24. Plenty of pundits thought Sheppard had a case as the best prospect in his class.

Yes, we have more data now. The NBA rookie numbers count too. It's possible that Sheppard is simply too small to succeed in the NBA.

The Rockets should find out for sure before they do something like trade him for Norman Powell. He's a good player, but he won't make a large enough difference to the Rockets' 2025-26 title odds (especially when they're parting with Adams) to justify the cost of Sheppard:

Who knows what he might do this summer?

Grade: D