Best thing Rockets can do with haul from Christian Wood trade

The Houston Rockets just got a lot of different things for Christian Wood in his recent trade to the Mavericks. Not all of what Houston got will help them like most fans hoped.

The Rockets look like they got a lot in the recent trade for Christian Wood, but they didn't get a lot of good when you look at the actual deal.

The four players Houston received (Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and Boban Marjanovic) are a lot of nothing. These guys are mostly financial placeholders to prop the deal up with almost no chance of being contributors on the team in the short or long term.

Yeah, the Rockets did get a bit of veteran depth, but none of these guys help in the immediate like Wood or figure to stay a part of the young core.

The 26th overall pick was the only good thing the Rockets got from this deal that will actually help them in 2022. While Houston could sit at 26 and take three guys in the first round, it could help far more for Houston to package this pick with the 17th and move up for a better chance at hitting on their second rookie.

There is plenty of good and bad associated with this. This class is obviously not great, so more overall picks could be the best way to find one of the diamonds in the rough that inevitably come outside of the obvious candidates.

On the other hand, being able to move up in a weaker class would also give Houston a better chance at finding a fit in that next tier of guys if they are picking closer to ten.

One way or another, Rockets fans can't be shocked that this is what they got for Wood. Houston didn't have much leverage and they also needed to see what they could do with younger players like Alperen Sengun.

While this may not be the most exciting compensation to get back in a trade for one of your best players, the Rockets are still moving along with their rebuild and could get much better from this deal if they play their cards right.

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