Rockets' regret in trading young guard grows as he begins his breakout with new team

Nobody thought much about the Houston Rockets trading the 44th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft for AJ Griffin. Now, Pelle Larsson is making it appear to be a questionable decision.

As a rule, the 44th pick is not a contributor. That's how it typically is. So, the decision to flip that pick for Griffin made sense. He'd already established himself as a potential contributor at the NBA level.

So much for that.

In case you're unaware (or repressing the memory), Griffin retired from the NBA before he even suited up for the Rockets. It's unfortunate, but ultimately, it hasn't stung too badly. The 44th pick isn't going to be a contributor anyway, right?

...Right?

The Rockets missed out on a solid rotation player

Larsson is playing 23.2 minutes per game for the Heat this year. He's averaging 10.1 points and 3.5 assists. Worst of all, Larsson is a stout defender.

Isn't that so like the Heat? This organization always seems to unearth scrappy, low-cost rotation players. Larsson is proving to be no exception - at the Rockets' expense. A once logical trade now looks like the Rockets giving away a decent player for no reason.

How remorseful should they be?

The Rockets shouldn't have any major regrets

This is a classic case of hindsight bias.

At the time, the deal made sense. Griffin had flashed potential. That was worth a gamble over the 44th pick. The process leading to this deal was good, even if the result is flawed.

Besides, it's hard to say whether Larsson would be getting run with the Rockets. It is fair to say that Ime Udoka would likely appreciate his defense, but JD Davison is a solid defender, and he hardly gets on the floor. At 13-6, the Heat have been surprisingly solid this season, but they didn't enter 2025-26 with serious championship aspirations.

Yes, it would be nice if Larsson were on the roster. It would have been a wonderful use of the 44th pick in the draft. His unexpected development into a rotation player as a sophomore is worth admiring.

It's also not worth crying about as a Rockets fan. This team is in an outstanding position, and Larsson would only marginally move the needle. This transaction didn't go Houston's way, but that's life in the NBA:

Sometimes, the move you hardly thought about has surprising ramifications.