The importance of this offseason for the Houston Rockets has been touched on several times. They are a legitimate playoff team and look like a contender for the Southwest Division crown for years to come.
Now, they have the opportunity to make a huge splash on the trade market this summer by acquiring a superstar, and Rafael Stone would be wise to make the most of it. Many names have been floated as potential fits in Houston, but one Western Conference All-Star stands out as the best possible acquisition who could be on the trade block this summer.
That All-Star would be none other than Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. From purely a positional fit, he does everything you would want out of a shooting guard currently in the prime of their career. In addition to being a deadeye shooter from beyond the arc, Booker is more than capable of creating his shot off the bounce and quarterbacking the offense to get his teammates involved when opposing defenses lock in on stopping him.
Rockets Acquire Devin Booker in Projected Superstar Trade
Shipping Green, Smith Jr., and, to a lesser extent, Whitmore out of town would be a tough pill to swallow, but you have to give up talent when attempting to acquire an established star the caliber of Booker. That is just the cost of business in the NBA when trading for proven commodities in the prime of their careers.
What would make this deal a bit easier to handle is the fact that the three first-round picks in question already belonged to the Suns at one point in time. Houston would just be redirecting them back to Phoenix in exchange for the 28-year-old.
Suns owner Matt Ishiba has been adamant that Booker would not be traded, but there are far too many reasons for Phoenix to consider a trade like this rather than blow it off entirely. As Sam Quinn of CBS Sports put it, running things back would lead to a different flavor of mediocre for the Suns.
That realization could be what it takes for Phoenix to finally pull the trigger on a Booker trade, which would be welcome news for the Rockets.