Rockets: Picking apart an insulting Dillon Brooks trade offer

Why the deal is awful for the Rockets

Under this deal, the Rockets would lose an All-League defender without landing a replacement for Brooks' skillset. Sure, Tari Eason is entirely capable of doing what Brooks could do (and likely more), but the Rockets don't think so.

They wouldn't have signed Brooks if they believed that.

Maxwell Lewis is a prospect-level player who would likely sit in the G-League on the Rio Grande Vipers, as he's unproven and likely not ready to contribute immediately. What's known about him is that he wasn't viewed as an All-World defender coming out of Pepperdine, which we know Udoka is seeking.

And D'Angelo Russell would serve no purpose for the Rockets, as they added three point guards this past offseason, most notably Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson from the Overtime Elite league.

Let's stop there for a second.

The luster behind adding VanVleet is his defensive ability and his leadership skills, as we've seen him rally the young guys and show them how to be a professional. D'Angelo Russell doesn't check those boxes.

He's also not the playmaker that FVV is, and he'd stifle Thompson's minutes and workload, which simply isn't worth it. The Rockets need to see what they have in Thompson and he needs minutes to ramp up and develop, as there will be a transition from OTE to the NBA.

Furthermore, Russell and FVV playing in the same lineup would affect Jalen Green, as he'd be forced to move to the small forward spot, which would have him playing out of position. The biggest value add for the Rockets in this deal is the three second-round picks, and again, they don't necessarily value those.

And they also don't need those.

For that reason, Stone and the Rockets' front office would say no to this deal.