A new report claims that the Houston Rockets had a chance to land Jaylen Brown via a trade, but the price was too high. Both top stars Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun were named in the report as part of a three-team trade. The Boston Celtics were going to get Sengun as their new starting center, and the Detroit Pistons hoped to land Durant as their next star. Houston shut down these talks upon realizing they’d have to lose the two best players.
Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported the following update today:
“There were talks about a Kevin Durant trade involving Jaylen Brown and Alperen Sengun… Kevin Durant would’ve gone to the Pistons… The Celtics were gonna get Alperen Sengun and then Jaylen Brown would’ve gone to the Rockets… Ultimately Houston did not want that type of package.”
Houston thought better of risking too much to make Brown their new franchise player. Sacrificing one of the two names involved for Brown could have made sense, but trading away two players coming off All-Star seasons would be too desperate. Detroit would have included role players and/or young prospects that likely went to the Rockets. Unfortunately, it became too expensive for Houston to actually pull the trigger on a trade.
Will Houston Rockets Make Any Trades?
The Rockets have been rumored to be one of the top teams that could make a huge move this summer. However, we’ve witnessed so many major trades already without Houston getting involved in any of the bigger moves during the offseason.
Signing Marcus Smart to help the guard depth was the biggest thing done by the Rockets all offseason. Rumors indicate they are still open to making trades and would be willing to part ways with anyone, except for Amen Thompson, if the right price is there.
Houston could easily stand pat and decide to give this roster one more chance. The return of injured starting point Fred VanVleet and the addition of Smart could fix their biggest flaw from last season. Smart veteran guard play was needed for the young team lacking a floor general. The Rockets currently appear to be leaning towards giving this roster another shot before making a big trade.
Why The Jaylen Brown Trade Offer Was Bad
The concept of Houston trading two top 25 players in the league for one player of that caliber and secondary talents made no sense. Boston trading Brown for Sengun straight up would have made more sense for both teams, but the money didn’t match as easily.
Durant getting entered in conversations made it too unrealistic to trade that much talent for one star. Brown leading a core of Thompson, VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Reed Sheppard doesn’t seem like a great roster on paper to contend in the loaded Western Conference.
Houston should wisely keep the roster as is unless someone they truly value as the next franchise star enters the trade market. Durant or Sengun should only be traded if they are getting upgraded for the team construction. Brown just wasn’t enough to make that risk worth it.
Houston Rockets Turned Down Blockbuster Jaylen Brown Trade