Rockets, Nets reportedly discussed pick return at trade deadline

Much of the debate surrounding the Houston Rockets’ willingness to make a deal with the Brooklyn Nets has centered around Mikal Bridges, as the public perception was that the Rockets coveted Bridges. Which would be understandable, as Bridges seems like the perfect player for Rockets coach Ime Udoka.

Bridges is a 19.6-point scorer who was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award just two seasons ago.

The Nets eventually traded Bridges to the New York Knicks in a Godfather-style deal that saw Brooklyn land four unprotected first-round picks, a top-four protected first-round pick in 2025, a swap of unprotected picks in 2028 and a second-round pick in 2025, along with Shake Milton, Bojan Bogdanovich and Mamadi Diakite.

The deal came after the Rockets and Nets agreed to terms on a deal that saw Houston return Brooklyn’s 2025 and 2026 first-round picks, while the Rockets instead opted to take draft capital from the Phoenix Suns down the road, banking on the eventual demise of the Bradley Beal-Devin Booker-Kevin Durant trio.

However, the Rockets were trying to get this deal done with the Nets long before it actually happened, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who reached out to the Lowe Post to clarify the timeline.

“It’s a deal that the Rockets offered to the Nets before the trade deadline. And then the Nets said, ‘Okay, we have to get into a rebuild. Let’s go over it with the Rockets and if they’re still OK with it, we’ll do the Mikal Bridges deal.'”

The Rockets have been criticized for not getting more in return from Brooklyn, especially considering that next year’s draft class is expected to include Cooper Flagg, who is considered one of the best draft prospects of the last decade by virtually everyone.

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