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Earlier in the offseason, the Houston Rockets finally pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade, sending Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft (Khaman Maluach), and five second-round picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kevin Durant. Durant had the Rockets as one of his three preferred destinations, and in the end, he got his wish — landing on a contending team in a state with no income tax.
Considering the quality of player that Durant is, this trade cannot be construed as anything other than a huge win for the Rockets. Durant may be turning 37 prior to the start of the 2025-26 campaign, but this is a man who averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season on 53/43/84 shooting splits. For a Rockets team that's been disjointed with their halfcourt offense, Durant's arrival is a saving grace.
It's not like the Rockets gave up a ton for Durant; they parted ways with Green, the second overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, and they gave up a lottery pick in Maluach, but they kept their best trade and draft assets, including the Suns' first-round pick in 2027, as well as their swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets in 2028.
But as a fun little exercise, would there have been another trade worth doing for the Rockets with Green as the centerpiece? Or was the Durant trade the best they could have done?
With that, here are some hypothetical Green trades the Rockets could have pulled the trigger on in another universe.
Rockets aid the Celtics in their salary-trimming exercise, trade for Jaylen Brown
Rockets trade: Jalen Green, Jock Landale, Cam Whitmore, 2025 first-round pick (from PHX), 2027 first-round pick swap (with PHX), two second-round picks
Celtics trade: Jaylen Brown
It is a bit odd to see Jaylen Brown command more in a trade than Kevin Durant did. But Brown is around eight years younger than Durant and will be a longer-term investment than Durant would ever be. KD is set to turn 37 years of age, and even though he's still playing at a high level, he doesn't have much time left as one of the best players in the NBA.
What made Brown a potential trade candidate was that the Boston Celtics were desperately looking to trim their player payroll to get under the second apron, therefore avoiding harsh luxury tax penalties. Alas, the Celtics were able to maneuver quickly and get themselves in a position where they could avoid the second apron for next season by trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang, respectively.
Rumor has it that the Rockets were interested in Brown before they acquired Durant. Perhaps that interest still remains even with Durant on the roster. But there's no more easy pathway for Houston to bring Brown in with Green now in the Valley, especially when they have so much belief in the potential that Jabari Smith Jr. possesses.
In another universe, perhaps Brown would have been the Rockets' superstar trade target of choice. He may be a worse offensive player than Durant, but he's a much more impactful defender at this stage of their careers. He also has experience playing under head coach Ime Udoka, and the Rockets possibly could have had a consistent All-Star-caliber player for around a decade, making it worth parting ways with Green, someone they believed could be the star that takes them to the promised land.
Nevertheless, acquiring Brown would have required the Rockets to pay up a ton in the form of trade assets just to convince the Celtics to part ways with the 2024 NBA Finals MVP. And considering the cost, it was better for Houston to just pull the trigger on the Durant trade they ended up doing.
Houston beats Magic to the punch on Desmond Bane
Rockets trade: Jalen Green, 2025 first-round pick (via PHX), 2027 first-round pick (via PHX), three second-round picks
Grizzlies trade: Desmond Bane
It will be difficult to sell the Rockets fanbase on a Green trade that's not getting them a superstar-caliber player. Part of what made the Durant trade such an easy thing to accept for Rockets fans was that Durant, in addition to being a consistent playoff performer and an ageless wonder, had prestige and an incredible track record that dwarfed that of Green's, who struggled in his first taste of playoff action.
On the other hand, this hypothetical trade for Bane would not have been as easy for Rockets fans to accept. After all, why would the team trade Green, who averaged 21.0 points per game last season, along with two first-round picks and some other draft assets, for Bane, someone who has never made an All-Star team?
But the gulf in scoring efficiency between Green and Bane is huge; Bane had a true shooting percentage of 60.0 percent this past season, while Green's was at 54.4 percent. For a Rockets team looking to improve their scoring efficiency, Bane would have been a huge get.
Alas, the Rockets have to be very happy with what they got for Green, and the Memphis Grizzlies appear to be very ecstatic with the draft-pick haul they got from the Orlando Magic for Bane.
Jalen Green heads to the Big Easy
Rockets trade: Jalen Green, Jock Landale, 2025 first-round pick (PHX), 2027 first-round pick (PHX)
Pelicans trade: Trey Murphy, Jordan Hawkins
The Pelicans have been wheeling and dealing this offseason, and at present, there remains a few roster question marks for them to resolve. They most notably have stacked up quite a few centers, and it's not quite clear how their wing rotation will shake out.
In fact, there are rumors stating that the Pelicans could perhaps shop both Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, both of whom will draw plenty of interest on the trade market. For the Rockets, acquiring Murphy would make a ton of sense, with Murphy breaking out into a star in the making after averaging 21.2 points per game last season before succumbing to injury.
In a world where the Rockets don't give up Brooks, acquiring Jones won't be as big of a priority. So instead of forking over even more draft assets to get the 3-and-D wing, they could instead keep their assets in preparation for another potential trade.
For the Pelicans, this would give them an unquestioned starter at the two in Green, all while opening up the starting small forward spot for Herb Jones. Green would have the defenders alongside him (Dejounte Murray and Jones) to cover for his deficiencies on that end of the floor.
Meanwhile, the Rockets will get one of the best shooters in the league in Murphy, with Murphy also showing considerable improvements in his off-the-bounce game this past season. Jordan Hawkins is also coming in as a shooter for the Rockets to deploy off the bench. In today's NBA, contending teams can never have enough shooting. For a Rockets team whose Achilles heel is their offense, this is even more true.
Murphy is only 25 years of age and he is a much more efficient scorer than Green is. He is also much more of an off-ball player than Green, which should then free up more ballhandling and playmaking touches for Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
He is also under contract for four more seasons (no player option), and at a very reasonable average annual value of $28 million — making him worth more bang for the buck than Green.
Murphy is still flying under the radar, but this would have been an incredible trade for the Rockets to pull off if they whiffed on their trade pursuit of Durant.
