Rockets must avoid trade for tantalizing young guard despite rival's fire sale

The Houston Rockets don't need to make a trade, but if they do, a tempting target might be available. That said, the Rockets should pass on the Kings' Keon Ellis.

Some will disagree. Ellis is an understandably appealing player. That doesn't mean he's right for the Rockets:

He doesn't have the right skillset, and he's likely to be too expensive.

Rockets don't need another 3-and-D

Ellis is a 6'6" guard/wing who's hitting 42.4% of his threes while playing great defense. That's an attractive profile. Let's dig deeper.

He's also averaging 1.2 assists per 75 possessions in 2025-26. Ellis offers virtually zero playmaking - at least, as of now.

Who knows? Ellis is just 25. He may have more playmaking juice than the Kings are squeezing from him. This team is overloaded with ball-dominant players. Still, there's no evidence that Ellis is suitable for the ball-handling duties the Rockets need fulfilled.

If you think Ime Udoka is going to take a leap of faith, think again. Ellis would likely function similarly to Josh Okogie with this group. That feels superfluous when Josh Okogie is having a career year. Yes, it is possible that Ellis is the better player:

But that's part of the problem. Ellis is 25. He may have untapped potential:

So the Kings will likely ask for a fortune.

Rockets shouldn't fork over assets for Ellis

I somewhat recently graded a piece that had the Rockets effectively flipping Tari Eason for Ellis. That's too much. Eason has been substantially more impactful than Ellis.

It seems likely that the Kings would want an unprotected first-round pick for Ellis. That's too much. Sure, the Rockets have a surplus, but they shouldn't send out a valuable asset unless they're getting a perfectly fitting player in return.

Noticing a trend yet? The operative words are "too much."

The Rockets may not even need to make a trade. Reed Sheppard looks like an emerging star. Aaron Holiday is fine. For now, they should see how the season is playing out.

Yet, even if they start to look like they need a deal, Ellis isn't the target. Houston is going to need ball-handling more than it needs shooting (or especially, defense), so there's no reason to break the bank for Ellis. A more modest deal for a veteran floor general ought to serve them better:

Even if Ellis is awfully tempting.