With their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Phoenix Suns were officially eliminated from playoff contention. When Phoenix paired Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker up, they were expected to have arguably the best big three in the NBA, and it was widely assumed that they would compete for championships because of that. Frequent injuries, questionable team chemistry, poor team depth, and regression from Beal prevented that from ever happening, so the Suns instead became one of the most disappointing teams in recent memory.

They have signaled that they would love to move off of Beal, but a no-trade clause and a horrendous contract make that next to impossible. Because of that, it has also been rumored that they may instead look to move Durant this upcoming offseason. That means that the Suns will likely re-tool with Booker as their franchise player, but perhaps they will completely blow things up and see what the trade market holds for the shooting guard that they drafted in 2015. If the Suns decide that trading Booker is the correct course of action, then the Houston Rockets make sense as a logical trading partner.

Rockets trade proposal for Devin Booker

Devin Booker Bradley Beal Suns
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Rockets receive: Devin Booker

Suns receive: Jalen Green, Reed Sheppard, Jock Landale, 2025 first-round pick (via Suns), 2027 first-round pick (via Suns), 2029 first-round pick (via Suns), 2026 first-round pick (via Rockets)

The Houston Rockets underwent a massive rebuild, and they are now reaping the rewards. With a young core leading the way, the Rockets will head into the postseason as the two-seed in the Western Conference. Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, and Amen Thompson are all recent first-round picks who have played big roles this season. Veterans including Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Jeff Green have helped institute winning ways into the organization, too, and now the Rockets are legitimate title contenders.

It is unclear how deep of a run the Rockets will make in the postseason. Oftentimes, young but talented teams need to have a heartbreaking postseason loss or two before they can truly compete for a championship. If the Rockets don't make the NBA Finals this year, they could look for a boost in the trade market that will help get them over the hump. They have the tradable assets to outbid other teams for stars on the trade market.

Booker should be one of the Rockets' primary targets this offseason if they choose to make a splashy move. Booker, who is one of the best players in the NBA and arguably the league's best shooting guard, has experience playing in the NBA Finals. Now that his Suns are finishing up a massive failure of a season that will lead to big offseason changes, it is possible that he will be getable via trade. Booker is averaging 25.7 points per game, largely because of his elite mid-range shot. Booker has also improved drastically as a playmaker, evidenced by his career-high 7.1 assists per game.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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He'd be a great schematic fit for the Rockets. In this trade proposal, he'd provide an upgrade over the departing Jalen Green. Green is a bucket-getter in his own right, but he isn't nearly as consistent as Booker.

The Rockets also lose Sheppard in this trade. The Kentucky product was the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he is one of the few building blocks on the team that wasn't able to establish a big role this season. With so much young depth in Houston, it might be hard for Sheppard to ever crack the rotation and play heavy minutes, so shipping him off for an All-Star makes a lot of sense. The Rockets also send off four first-round picks in this deal, but the league has seen worse players traded for more in recent years. Just look at the New York Knicks trade addition of Mikal Bridges last offseason. Even with all of these picks being moved, the Rockets still have plenty of draft capital going forward to continue adding to the roster, per si.com. Because of that, this would be a must-do trade if it were a possibility.

Should the Suns start a complete rebuild and trade Devin Booker?

The Rockets make perfect sense for the Suns as a Booker trading partner because Houston owns a lot of Phoenix's draft capital. In a blockbuster trade like this, the Suns could get their draft picks back and, therefore, be free to tank if they so choose. That would be necessary if they were to trade away Booker, as without him, they'd be one of the worst teams in the league. There are no benefits to losing a lot of games if you don't control your own draft capital, though. In this trade, the Suns regain control of three of their own picks in addition to a 2026 first-rounder from the Rockets. This move would restock a team deprived of draft assets going forward.

They also bring in some legitimate building blocks for the new era of Suns basketball. Green has star potential. That potential has only come in flashes/stretches for most of his career, but Green has put together the most complete season of his career this year. Green averages close to 20 points per game every season. He can dunk over anybody in the paint and hit tough shots outside.

Sheppard is also a worthwhile investment. While he hasn't shown a ton as a rookie, he was one of the most coveted players as a prospect for a reason. That was so much so the case that some scouts and draft experts pinned him as the best player in the 2024 NBA Draft. Sheppard could break out into stardom when given a bigger opportunity.

While it has been assumed that the Suns will trade Durant and not Booker, there are those who would advocate that they should embrace a full-blown rebuild. With Booker still on the roster, they might be stuck in purgatory, but by trading him, they can acquire a huge haul that will set themselves up well going forward.