Rockets criticized after offseason trade with Nets

Ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets completed a trade with the Brooklyn Nets that gave Houston more draft assets in the future. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and Nets general manager Sean Marks have reportedly been in trade discussions for a long time, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when the two teams reached an agreement.

However, the Rockets didn’t exactly get much praise for the move, as many felt they should have gotten more, especially since they gave back draft capital to Brooklyn, who will now have even more incentive to tank. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report criticized Stone and the Rockets’ management for their return.

“It’s almost never a bad deal when you trade two first-round assets for four, but what if the Houston Rockets could have extracted even more value from the Brooklyn Nets?

Think about it: Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said the Houston deal was tied to the larger one that sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for five first-round picks and a trade. That move made a lot more sense if the Nets had control of their immediate future first-round picks, because they would enjoy the benefits of the draft lottery if they tanked without Bridges.

Houston could have made a move in a number of ways, but the key point to note is that the Nets acted as if they had to trade with Houston, while the Rockets would have been perfectly happy to keep the assets they already had from Brooklyn. This 2025 first-round trade could have ended up at No. 1 whether the Nets had Bridges or not.

Perhaps the Rockets could have leveraged that advantage and kept the 2026 pick out of the deal. Or perhaps they could have pushed for other benefits.

In total, the Rockets obtained a 2025 first-round pick swap (Houston/Oklahoma City for Phoenix), in addition to the Phoenix Suns’ 2027 first-round pick, while also acquiring the rights to the two most favorable first-round picks in the 2029 NBA Draft between Dallas, Phoenix and Houston’s own pick.

The Nets have again acquired their own 2025 and 2026 first-round draft picks.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Rockets on Facebook and Follow us on twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.