In a story published Friday, ESPN’s André Snellings proposed a hypothetical Rockets-Kings trade involving DeMar DeRozan, Dillon Brooks, and a 2025 draft pick.
The Houston Rockets are already an elite defensive team, but they’re mediocre on offense. That largely explains their ongoing trade interest in acquiring All-Star forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns.
But what if a deal can’t be reached?
ESPN’s André Snellings suggested one possibility in a story published Friday about potential trades involving the 2025 NBA draft, which begins with Wednesday’s first round.
Snellings proposes a deal with Dillon Brooks going from the Rockets to Sacramento, along with Houston’s No. 10 overall draft pick, in exchange for Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan.
The explanation is as follows:
DeRozan would provide a huge lift to the Rockets’ half-court offense with his ability to create consistent high-level shots off the dribble while also taking some of the burden off Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. Plus, the Rockets have a plethora of talented defenders on the wing, including Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, to replace Brooks’ defensive abilities.
Even without DeRozan, the Kings have plenty of scoring ability on the wing, with the additions of Zach LaVine and Malik Monk — a duo capable of combining for more than 40 points per game. The Kings also have an offense-heavy frontcourt, led by Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray.
Their biggest holes this offseason are on defense and point guard, after they traded away De’Aaron Fox to bring in LaVine. Brooks, with his aggressive 3-and-D game, would fit in well on the Kings’ wing. The No. 10 pick would also be an upgrade from the Kings’ 13th pick that they’ve traded away to the Atlanta Hawks.
Mock drafts project several point guard prospects could be available at No. 10, including Kasparas Jakucionis from Illinois and Egor Demin from BYU, who could develop into the Kings’ point guard of the future.
The deal is understandable at face value, since Houston already has a deep rotation filled with young prospects (including Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, who struggled to play consistently last season). Thus, it could make sense to explore trades involving the No. 10 pick, as opposed to bringing in another lottery selection who might not have a clear path to NBA minutes.
Both DeRozan and Brooks are under contract for two more seasons with very comparable salaries ($24.6 million for DeRozan next season and $22.1 million for Brooks).
So, financially, the trade is very easy to pull off. It just comes down to whether the two teams would be interested in such an arrangement.
DeRozan, 35, averaged 22.2 points (47.7% FG), 4.4 assists, and 3.9 assists per game last season. Brooks, 29, averaged 14.0 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting a career-best 39.7% from 3-point range.
DeRozan is clearly the better offensive player, thanks in large part to his superior shot creation ability. From Houston’s perspective, the question is whether general manager Rafael Stone would trade both Brooks and a top-10 pick for an older player with worse defense and floor spacing. Consider that DeRozan shot 32.8% on 3-pointers last season, and Brooks is widely viewed as a strong defender.
From Sacramento’s perspective, the question is whether they would view the No. 10 pick as sufficient compensation for a swap that lands them with a player who isn’t nearly as dynamic on offense.
It’s far from a given that both teams would do it, but it’s at least an interesting thought exercise as the first round nears. For now, though, it appears Houston is primarily focused on Durant.
