Rockets could have one of the most valuable trade chips in the NBA

As the Houston Rockets have built out their championship-ready core, their front office has remained one of the most savvy in the league, not only drafting well but also leveraging their draft capital and young players to improve the team's outlook.

While the most salient example of this is the blockbuster move they made for Kevin Durant this past offseason, a deal with the Brooklyn Nets in 2024, which yielded Houston two of the Phoenix Suns' first-round draft picks, may have landed them one of the most valuable trade chips in the league.

Even following their acquisition of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Khaman Maluach in the Durant trade, Phoenix is still in a confusing spot as an organization, and, if they continue to trend downward, the Rockets could yet again be in a position to move a high lottery pick in exchange for another star.

Rockets could utilize the Phoenix Suns' first round pick for larger purposes

Although Brooks and Green were both major components of the Durant deal, the crux of negotiations was the 10th overall pick that Houston ultimately sent back to the Suns. The pick, which was originally Phoenix's, took on a larger value as the Suns' season went sideways, ultimately affording the Rockets the leverage to outbid the Miami Heat in the sweepstakes for Durant.

Now, the same trade that yielded them that pick may afford them the same luxury. Houston, in a savvy move, sent their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for the right to swap their 2025 pick with either Phoenix's or the Oklahoma City Thunder's as well as the rights to the Suns' 2027 unprotected first-round pick.

At the time, this trade did not seem to hold as much value as it does now. The Suns, with an offense centered around Devin Booker and Durant, seemed poised to contend for the time being.

Yet, as things went sideways for Phoenix last season, they were forced to move on from Durant, and they now have an exceedingly tall task in front of them to compete in an absolutely loaded Western Conference.

With the host of young talent that Houston already has on their roster, it is somewhat unlikely that they will hold onto that 2027 pick, especially if it unfolds into a high lottery choice. While the Suns will likely not have enough chips to move to take their pick back, the Rockets might be able to flip the pick into another star, or at least another vital piece to their rotation.

Therefore, while Houston is already position exceedingly well with its young core, there is yet another variable that could allow them to continue to build a roster worthy of championship contention.