Ranking all 15 Houston Rockets players by trade value

Any team in the NBA is a candidate to make a trade. Few are stronger candidates than the Houston Rockets. This summer, the team has been practically synonymous with trade rumors. 

It makes sense. The Rockets will inevitably have to make a consolidation deal. They will not be financially able to keep every young player on the roster. We'll see what this front office does, but a deal is likely in their future. 

Here's every player on the roster ranked according to their trade value. 

This guy will be difficult to move

15. Dillon Brooks 

You saw this coming. 

It isn't complicated. Brooks has an average annual salary of $21.5 million through 2026-27. He's a 3-and-D wing with a career True Shooting % (TS%) of 51.7%. 

In the grand scheme of things, this could be worse. The Rockets have one bad contract on the books, and in today's market, $21.5 million is not devastating. Still, Brooks will be the hardest player to move on this roster.

These guys can be salary stuffers

14. Jeff Green

Nobody is going to mind taking on Green, but nobody is going to be excited about it either. 

In 2023-24, his advanced age showed. Green is 37. He's not going to crack a contender's rotation. Still, he's on an expiring $8 million deal. Green's contract could be useful as something to aggregate in a larger move. 

13. Jock Landale

By contrast, Landale could be seen as a rotation piece. He struggled throughout much of 2023-24, but once his ankle injury seemed to be resolved, he was solid. Landale can space the floor, and pass. Defensively, he's a serviceable stationary rim protector. 

His deal is also team-friendly. Landale is making $8 million a year through 2026-27, but each season is non-guaranteed. A team could be happy to acquire him for his on-court production, or the financial flexibility that comes with his deal. 

12. Jae'Sean Tate

Like Green, Tate is on an expiring deal. Unlike Green, Tate could be a useful piece for a contending team. Still, it has to be the right team. 

After all, his career 30.6% three-point percentage limits his portability. Still, a team with strong spacing could be drawn to his playmaking and defensive versatility. Even then, his expiring deal will make him an attractive option to a wider range of teams.

11. Aaron Holiday 

Holiday is arguably the best player we've listed since Brooks. Still, that's not the main factor driving his trade value - Holiday is really, really cheap. 

He's got an average annual salary of roughly $4.8 million, and the deal only runs for two more seasons. Holiday is a serviceable rotation guard, and he offers tremendous value at that price point. He'll be easy to move. 

10. Steven Adams

It feels strange to talk about trading Adams. He hasn't played one minute in a Rockets uniform yet. We're (fairly) certain we'll see him in action before he's on the move. 

If he looks like his prior self, he'll have plenty of value. Adams is a starting caliber big man, and he's on a $12.6 million expiring contract. The Rockets likely acquired Adams because they wanted him, but if they're trading for a star, he'll be easy to include in a deal.

These young players have depreciating value

 9. AJ Griffin

Teams won't mind adding Griffin if it's part of a larger deal. At this stage, they likely won't have any particular interest in him, either. 

After shooting 39.0% from deep as a rookie in 2022-23, he hit just 25.6% of his triples as a sophomore last season. Griffin doesn't create much offense, and he's a mediocre defender. The bulk of his on-court value is tied to his shooting. 

Here's hoping he turns it around - if he even sees the floor in Houston. Otherwise, teams won't be lining up to sign an underperforming prospect who's due for a new contract soon.

 8. Jalen Green

Did someone say new contract? 

We won't punish you by diving deep into Green's numbers (again). You know the drill. Green has been sporadically brilliant, typically mediocre, and occasionally worse. 

Next summer, he's due for a rookie extension. Green will need to demonstrate some consistency for any team in the league to be interested in paying him big bucks. If he meets expectations leading up to the deadline, he could shoot up this list. As it stands, his trade value is in the gutter.

A pair of positive value players

 7. Cam Whitmore

Whitmore was perhaps the most difficult player on this list to rank. 

His potential is limitless. Still, holes in Whitmore's game could keep him from reaching those heights. He'll need to dramatically improve his 1.35 assists per 75 possessions in 2024-25 to climb this list. 

 6. Fred VanVleet 

VanVleet is by far the highest-paid player on this list. Are we sure his value should be this high? 

Yes. VanVleet's deal is lucrative, but it was brilliantly structured. The 2024-25 season is the last guaranteed year on his deal. Next summer, there's a team option on his contract. 

So, he's effectively on an expiring deal. In theory, VanVleet and all of Houston's draft capital could fetch them just about any star to hit the market. VanVleet is making $42.8 million a year, but teams won't get sticker shock over such a short-term commitment. 

Some high-value prospects

5. Tari Eason 

Eason must have some trade value - he's included in a trade proposal on a near-daily basis. 

Why not? Eason is an extra-possession monster. He's already one of the best defensive playmakers in the NBA. He may be the best rebounding wing in the NBA (although Josh Hart would like a word). Throw in sufficient floor spacing, and this is a valuable young player. 

Eason's perceived lack of upside keeps him from climbing this list, but make no mistake - contenders and rebuilding teams alike would love to have him. That's why we expect the Rockets to keep him, but Eason should have a lot of value if he ever did find his way on the market. 

 4. Reed Sheppard

Sheppard hasn't played a regular-season NBA game yet. This will sound counterintuitive to some, but that's exactly why his value is so high. 

He's cost-controlled. Sheppard is on a rookie deal for three-to-four more seasons. Moreover, he's widely seen as having a chance to be the best player in his draft class. 

The Rockets won't trade him now unless an MVP candidate becomes available. Still, if (for whatever strange reason) they wanted to, he'd fetch a substantial return. 

 3. Jabari Smith Jr. 

After Smith Jr.'s rookie season, his value would have been depressingly low. Luckily, he made strides as a sophomore. Now, he's on people's radars as someone who could break out in 2024-25. 

If nothing else, we'd expect teams to gamble on his physical qualities. Smith Jr. is a 6'11" wing who's mobile enough to guard any frontcourt position. That's the type of player that any team could use. 

 2. Amen Thompson 

With a 1.9 Box Plus/Minus (BPM), Thompson was already a positive contributor as a rookie. He's going to be a good - and perhaps great - NBA player. That's about all we know about his future. 

Can he be a primary playmaker if he doesn't develop a shot? Is Thompson a superstar, or an elite role player? Is he a poor man's LeBron James, or a poor man's Draymond Green? 

Hey - we'll take a poor man's Draymond Green. Thompson is going to be a valuable NBA player. Rival teams know that, and they'd be happy to add him to their roster.

A centerpiece for a blockbuster

1. Alperen Sengun 

Was their any doubt? 

Sengun is 22, and he's the best player on an NBA team. Sure, there are questions about his defense. If he could shoot threes reliably, it would open up his game. 

He still has a boatload of trade value at this very moment. Teams will see a building block in Sengun. The Rockets surely do too. They'll be hesitant to move him: 

Although, we wouldn't rule anything out.