Rockets Land Six-Time All-Star in Bold Trade Proposal

The Rockets would instantly hang up the phone.

Jun 24, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets first round draft pick Jabari Smith Jr. and general manager Rafael Stone smile during a press conference at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It's well-known that the Houston Rockets are in pursuit of a formidable superstar. Well-respected reporters have mentioned players like Zion Williamson, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell as potential targets for the franchise.

We even saw Kevin Durant mentioned as a name to watch for Houston. Which is understandable, considering the makeup of the roster, which has young players that were selected early in their respective draft classes. 

The latest trade proposal by Wes Goldberg, the host of Locked on Heat and writer of All U Can Heat, has the Rockets landing their superstar. 

The proposal is below:

Rockets get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Fred VanVleet, 2028 first round pick, 2030 first-round pick

The writer's logic is below:

The Rockets were rumored to be interested in trading for Butler before making it clear in their dealings that they prefer to pounce on either Kevin Durant or Devin Booker if the Phoenix Suns situation goes South.

But offering Butler for Fred VanVleet and a pair of future first-round picks (not the Suns’ picks) could be too good of a deal for the Rockets to pass up.

For the Heat, getting back VanVleet helps them in the short-term while maintaining the chance to create major cap space next summer, when they can decline VanVleet’s $44.8 million team option.

So the Heat essentially get the same cap flexibility while also adding more draft capital – but they do punt on this season.

Trading two first-round picks for the soon-to-be 35-yar-old Butler is a steep price, especially since he hasn't played a full season in over a decade. Not to mention his financial asking price, which is why he's even being mentioned in such a mock trade.

The Rockets could use VanVleet's expiring salary in much better ways, even though they have ample salary filler outside of VanVleet.

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