The Houston Rockets might just be one big trade away from being a contender.
The 2024-25 NBA season has brought some pleasant surprises and some disappointing teams. The Houston Rockets are among the surprising teams this season as they are currently 21-9 and a half-game lead as the No. 2 seed in a loaded Western Conference.
While the Rockets are one of the top seeds in the better of the two conferences, they are being overlooked as a contender. They’ve got a clear-cut style and identity while having depth, but they are lacking one major asset every contending squad needs. They don’t have a clear-cut superstar.
However, the Rockets have the necessary trade chips and assets needed to acquire a star on the trade market. They’ve got to be patient and allow the right player to become available to make a move. There is one name who could be up for trade soon, though.
The narrative, right now, is that De’Aaron Fox needs to be traded from the Sacramento Kings. They are 13-18 and are continually sliding in the Western Conference. The former Kentucky guard led the franchise to end their playoff drought that ran two decades long, but they haven’t found any success beyond that.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, a great fit for Fox would be Houston, pairing him with a Rockets squad that is knocking on the door of contention. He claimed they would be “scary” with the All-Star point guard on their roster.
“Fox is a hell of a player. If you put him in Houston or San Antonio, I think that’d be pretty scary,” Bontemps said.
Bontemps included the Spurs, which would be quite a unique fit. For now, they have Chris Paul alongside Victor Wembanyama. With Fox being 27-years-old, he could be a long-term pairing with Wembanyama, though.
Still, the Rockets fit is quite an interesting one given their current roster makeup. However, Bomtemps listed four teams that could be in play, as one team, in particular, could be in play that might appeal to Fox.
“I heard Miami, you know, the Bam [Adebayo] connection, there,” Bontemps said.
The duo of Fox and Adebayo played together during college in Lexington, which could lead Fox to wanting to be on his way to South Beach to play with his former teammate.
Earlier this season, Fox, who is entering his prime years in the NBA, scored 60 points in a game, then scored 49 points in his following outing. The Kings aren’t a good basketball team right now, and moving Fox might be the only way forward for them.
Of course, if Sacramento were to move Fox, they would then open up the idea of moving DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis, along with other win-now players, which would allow them to stack draft capital.
What would a trade package look like? One would assume if the Kings are moving on from Fox, a rebuild would ensue. Fred VanVleet is a veteran player, but they could eventually flip him for more capital while using the salary to match in a Fox trade.
Alongside VanVleet, the Kings could acquire a young guard like Reed Sheppard while trying to secure some draft capital with the high-upside Kentucky product.
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