Grading a trade proposal that has Rockets pushing too many chips in for star guard

The Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant from the Suns, but they shouldn't send Phoenix more of their future draft capital back for Devin Booker. Yet, that's exactly what Bleacher Report is proposing they do.

It's an understandable instinct. The Rockets still own the Suns' 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. They're a win-now team. The Suns should be moving towards a rebuild, but that's an unattractive option when you don't have your own picks. So, a swap feels logical for both sides.

Only, the logical swap already happened. The Rockets improved their short-term outlook by acquiring Durant. They shouldn't mortgage more of their future for Booker.

He won't be worth the cost.

Rockets don't need Devin Booker

Take Bleacher Report's proposal for example:

That's roughly market value. If anything, the Rockets might be getting a deal here.

It's still not a deal they should make.

To begin with, the Rockets need a point guard. We've seen Booker run point before, and it isn't pretty. This deal has Houston flipping two floor generals for an off-guard.

That feels like a solvable issue. Houston could pick up a low usage floor general via another transaction. That gets convoluted, but it's not the main thing that should hold Houston back from pulling the trigger.

That would be Tari Eason.

Rockets shouldn't part with promising young wing

Box Plus/Minus (BPM) isn't a be-all, end-all stat. So before you read this, keep in mind that nobody is arguing that Eason is a better player than Booker.

Still, it's telling that Eason's 2024-25 BPM (3.6) was so much higher than Booker's (0.4).

Arguably, Booker is a player whose raw statistical output exceeds his on-court impact. That's not to dismiss his immense talent. Booker is a star. He's just not the type of star Houston should be mortaging more of their future for.

They also shouldn't dismiss the possibility that Sheppard develops into a better player than Booker. That's far from a foregone conclusion, but it's still in play. Nobody should look to glean much from Sheppard's difficult rookie year. Rookies on playoff teams typically struggle to find playing time.

We already saw Durant and Booker together, and the results were underwhelming. Surrounding Durant with young talent and rangy defensive wings is a more novel formula that Houston should take a look at. Another blockbuster trade could make sense down the road, but even then, Booker wouldn't be the right target.

The Rockets already got the Sun they needed.

Grade: C+