Houston Rockets Could Look to Trade Market for Guard Help

It may seem like the Houston Rockets built themselves into a contender over the offseason. But it was instead done over the last half-decade.

Trading for Kevin Durant and signing a myriad of talented rotational players in the offseason put the team into a new stratosphere. But they first accumulated one of the best and deepest young cores in the NBA in drafting Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and more.

Now, Houston not only has one of the best rosters in the league, it still has the future assets to improve, putting them in rare air. While that fact couldn’t fully mitigate lead guard Fred VanVleet going down for likely the entire 2025-26 season, it certainly helps.

It seems the Rockets’ offense will be fine sans VanVleet, but if they wanted reinforcements, they could look to the NBA’s trade market for help.

Most organizations turn to the trade market out of desperation, adding talent at the deadline in hopes of it being enough before the coveted NBA Playoffs. The Rockets have made it a point not to act in desperation in recent years, and a potential point guard deal would be no different.

The team has offensive options. The offense can and will run through Sengun, as it has in the preseason. He’s averaged a team-high 8.7 assists through three games. Players like Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson are also capable of handling the rock, though the former is best used as an off-ball weapon, and the latter is still very much growing. Additionally, Houston could simply use this season as a learning experience for young guards until VanVleet’s return.