Grade the Trade: Rockets acquire Damian Lillard in shortsighted proposal

From James Harden's departure to last season, the Houston Rockets were unambiguously rebuilding. There was no mystery. The team wanted to lose, and they did so in spectacular fashion.

Last year, everything shifted. The Rockets again had a distinct goal - they wanted to win games. Yet, there was - and still is - suddenly some ambiguity about the team's direction.

If they want to win games, they should consolidate some assets, right? It's time to move some young players and picks for the biggest star they can find, isn't it? Hence the ambiguity - it isn't that simple.

The Rockets want to win games, but they want to lean on the young players they already have as much as possible in the process. That's how they'll separate the wheat from the chaff. The team should take a few years to observe which combination of young players works best, and make trades to strengthen that group.

Unless an MVP candidate shakes loose. In that event, the Rockets could pivot entirely towards contention. Otherwise, mortaging their future for a player outside of the league's top-10 (or so) would be ill-advised. If that player is on the wrong side of 30, it would be even more foolish.

So, a player like Damian Lillard doesn't make for an ideal target. Yet, that's exactly who Fadeaway World has the Rockets acquiring in a recent proposal.

Rockets make massive mistake in new proposal

Let's break this down.

Including VanVleet in the proposal makes intuitive sense. Lillard directly replaces and upgrades his role. That works.

So, in essence, we're looking at Sheppard and two unprotected first-round picks for Lillard. That's where we take offense.

Are we 100% sure that Sheppard won't be as good as Lillard?

That's not to assert that he will be. That's far too bold of a prediction. Sheppard hasn't played an NBA game yet. There are a wide range of potential outcomes for his career, but we'd argue that a Lillard-like trajectory is on the high end of those outcomes.

Even if he never reaches that level, it's not the question here. The question is whether, in a manner of speaking, Sheppard will be two unprotected firsts worse than Lillard in his prime. That's where we're dubious.

Don't get us wrong - this is likely Lillard's market value. The proposal isn't outrageous from a market perspective. It's just an unfathomably bad decision for the Rockets. They can't afford to move Sheppard along with two valuable assets for a 34-year-old guard coming off of a down year before Sheppard has played an NBA minute.

Besides, Lillard isn't even the right fit for this team.

Lillard isn't right for the Rockets

Fadeaway World seems to disagree.

"The Rockets add a leader who can carry them through offensive pitfalls while having the defensive setup around him to cover his deficiencies on that end"

-Ishaan Bhattacharya, Fadeaway World

Are we sure about that?

Alperen Sengun's defensive limitations are well-documented. Yes, the Rockets managed to build a top-10 defense around him in 2023-24. Sure, they did it with VanVleet, a short guard (like Lillard) at the point of attack.

VanVleet is not Lillard - he's a stout defender despite his size. VanVleet can be exploited in some matchups, but he puts in maximum effort on that end of the floor, and his quick hands allow him to hound ball-handlers.

By contrast, Lillard is simply a bad defender. Yes, he's a much more dynamic offensive player than VanVleet. He's still unlikely to drag this offense into the top 10, and he'd likely shift the defense outside of the top 10.

In other words, he's 34, and he won't turn the Rockets into a contender. If the Bucks put Giannis Antetokoumnpo on the trade market. Otherwise, trading for the Robin to his Batman without a clear Batman in space would be a misallocation of resources.

Even if the Rockets are trying to win.

Grade: C-