The Houston Rockets are two weeks away from the NBA Trade Deadline, and they hold a very powerful draft asset.
This year, the Rockets can swap their pick with the Brooklyn Nets as part of the James Harden blockbuster trade from 2021. With January coming to an end, that pick is projected to be No. 8 overall and a six percent chance to go all the way to No. 1.
Either the Rockets can keep the pick and continue adding young talent, or they can cash it in for some help right now. ESPN suggests that the Rockets could deal the pick to the Detroit Pistons, along with Victor Oladipo and Jock Landale for Isaiah Stewart and Alec Burks.
The pick is top-eight protected, meaning the Rockets would get the selection unless it falls out of that range. If it isn't conveyed, the Rockets would send a pair of second-round picks.
It's a risky deal, especially because the Rockets could be surrendering the No. 9 overall pick for a 32-year-old Burks on an expiring contract and Stewart, whose four-year, $60 million contract kicks in next season.
However, the Rockets could be getting exactly what they need in Stewart, who shoots 38 percent from the 3-point line and can act as a backup center for Alperen Sengun.
It's a pricy get in terms of money perhaps, but if the Rockets take a risk like this and it pays off? They could accelerate their rebuild even further.
More must-reads: