Grade the trade: Rockets land Buddy Hield in dream proposal

How the Rockets can pull off acquiring Buddy Hield in a trade

The Rockets should certainly refrain from sending any of their young core to the Pacers in this deal, but truthfully, Rockets GM Rafael Stone won’t have to. Especially considering the Rockets’ bevy of draft capital.

The Rockets can pair Jae’Sean Tate with a highly-protected future first-round pick, in addition to several second-round picks to get Hield. Here is what that trade could look like:

The salaries match up perfectly in the framework of this deal and it would be a win-win for both teams.

The Pacers are a scorching hot offense, which the Rockets saw first-hand, as they dropped 123 points when the teams faced off on December 26th.

That game was a microcosm of why both teams should consider making this deal.

The Pacers made 44.2 percent of their threes in that game, despite Hield shooting just 3-of-11 from distance and 4-of-14 overall from the field.

Hield was a -10 for Indy, which was a team-low. In other words, they had a stellar offensive performance in spite of the 31-year-old sharpshooter.

The Pacers also allowed the Rockets to score 117 points, which was very on-brand for them, based on their 26th-place ranking in defensive efficiency.

Despite scoring 117 points, the Rockets made just 20.8 percent of their triples in that game, shooting a measly 5-for-24 from deep.