NBA insider's quote shows Rockets are sitting on NBA's biggest goldmine

The Houston Rockets own their share of future first-round picks. The ones that come by way of the Suns may be some of the most valuable assets in the NBA.

That's what The Athletic's Fred Katz thinks, anyway.

"There are always a couple of first-round picks that belong to other teams that are like the gold of the league. Now, the number one (piece of) gold of the league is easily if you have a Phoenix Suns pick"

- Fred Katz, The Athletic

Any future first-round pick is valuable. They can grease the wheels on a trade that wouldn't otherwise be viable. That said, it's particularly valuable to own picks from a team that's perceived as a sinking ship.

At this moment, the Suns are the NBA's Titanic.

Rockets own some of league's best assets

By now, I should tattoo this somewhere on my body:

Anything that's bad for the Suns is good for the Rockets.

Phoenix has already sent the Rockets the 10th overall pick. Houston sent it right back to them in the Kevin Durant trade. The Suns turned around and used that pick on Duke's Khaman Maluach.

I don't want to suggest that Maluach was a bad choice. He's 7'2" with a 7'6" wingspan and quick feet. That's a physical profile that could entice any general manager.

That said, it would help if he knew how to play NBA-level basketball.

Maluach is raw. His offensive role in the league is unclear. If he can't space the floor, it could be minimal. However Maluach's NBA career pans out, it's safe to say that he won't be a contributor for a little while.

Will Jalen Green ever be one? That was a question the Rockets wrestled with for four years. Now, it's the Suns' problem. With every passing season where impact stats suggest Green doesn't help winning, the slighter the odds that he ever will become.

For all of these reasons, Katz is right. These picks hold special value, and they belong to the Rockets.

What will they do with them?

Rockets have league's most valuable asset: their optionality

Whatever makes sense at the time.

The Rockets own Phoenix's 2027 and 2029 picks. In 2029, they receive the two most valuable of their pick, Phoenix's and Dallas'. That's arguably the most valuable non-player asset in the NBA at the moment.

By the time 2029 rolls around, it might be in someone else's hands.

That will have meant the Rockets moved it - presumably for a superstar. If the right deal falls into their laps, they should make it. Owning these picks could make it easier for that trade to manifest without involving Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson.

Alternatively, if the Rockets keep these picks, it'll mean that everything is going well. They don't feel compelled to bring in an outside superstar because they're winning enough with the guys they have. Imagine if Houston is a perennial contender who lands the first pick in the 2029 draft?

That would be worth it's weight in gold.