How Rockets’ Nets trade will reap rewards of Suns’ disastrous season

The Phoenix Suns’ 2024-25 season was an overall mess after the team finished with a 36-46 record. After missing out on the playoffs the organization fired Mike Budenholzer as head coach. However, there’s at least one winner of the Suns’ debacle and it’s somehow the Houston Rockets.

In June 2024, the Rockets reached a trade with the Brooklyn Nets that landed them Phoenix’s first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029. At first, the deal didn’t jump off the page, as Houston gave Brooklyn their first-round picks back in 2025 and 2026, which were deemed much more valuable.

“This past June, the Rockets made a trade with Brooklyn that sent back to the Nets control of their 2025 and 2026 unprotected first-round picks. In exchange, the Rockets received a large chunk of Phoenix’s future (2025, 2027, 2029) and control of the Dallas Mavericks’ 2029 first.”

As it turns out, the Suns were one of the worst teams in the league this season and are in line to have a Top 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Unfortunately for them, the Rockets own the rights to that pick. Of course, it depends on how the NBA Draft Lottery plays out, but Houston, who are the No. 2 ranked team in the Western Conference, are looking like complete geniuses for making that trade with the Nets.

With rumors suggesting the Suns plan to trade Kevin Durant, it appears the team is seemingly heading toward a rebuild. As for the Rockets, they’re one of the most exciting teams in the league with a solid young roster.

Houston awaits to see who they’ll face off against in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The play-in tournament is set to begin on Tuesday with the first matchup in the Western Conference being between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. The winner of that contest will earn the No. 7 seed and play the Rockets in the postseason.

This Rockets team is led by star center Alperen Sengun and guard Jalen Green. The two of them have formed a unique duo in Houston, giving them plenty of firepower from nearly everywhere on the court. They’re backed by a supporting cast consisting of Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr.