Other teams' moves make Rockets big trade deadline winners

But it's other draft picks that have become intriguing after this week's action. The Rockets have the right to swap for the first-round pick of the Phoenix Suns in 2025, an opportunity that looks more intriguing after the team struck out in its pursuit of Jimmy Butler. Phoenix is in 10th place at 25-25, has lost three straight games and may have alienated Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant by trying to trade them.

Then, in 2029, the Rockets can swap for the first-rounders of either the Suns or the Dallas Mavericks. With Beal, Durant and Devin Booker all getting older, and Phoenix having sacrificed many of their draft picks in upcoming years, that 2029 pick could easily be a high lottery pick.

That Dallas pick was much less intriguing when the Mavericks still had Luka Doncic, who should still be comfortably in his prime at age 29 in 2029. Now, they've traded Doncic to build their team around 31-year-old Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, who will be 37 years old by the 2029 draft. The Mavericks are also down a 2027 first-rounder and a 2028 swap.

The Rockets eschewed big trades to wait and see how their young core played for the rest of the season and the playoffs. But if they want to make a big move this summer, they may find themselves in a unique position: A team ready to compete for a title, who still has multiple lottery picks to use or trade.