Rockets Trade Deadline: Do They Need to Address the Backcourt?

On the Rockets 14-5 start, their viability against the Thunder in the playoffs, their Fred VanVleet-sized void in the backcourt and if they should trade a valuable draft pick to address it.

The Houston Rockets came into the 2025 offseason with significant upward mobility and a ton of draft assets. They built on the momentum of their first playoff series in five years by trading one of their valuable first-round picks for Kevin Durant. The move indicated immense confidence in the players they’ve drafted and that they’re close to competing for a championship.

Then that momentum was crushed in September when Fred VanVleet tore his ACL. The Rockets fortified their roster with more size, including Dorian Finney-Smith replacing Dillon Brooks. They also added Clint Capela as their third-string center and used their last roster spot on Josh Okogie. Those last two moves felt like overkill since neither player was projected to play when the roster was fully healthy.

It felt like, for a brief moment, that the totality of their moves may backfire a bit by not prioritizing their backcourt. Houston’s success coming into the season is now banked on Amen Thompson’s ability to lead the offense and Reed Sheppard becoming a rotation player.

However, the only other guards they had off the bench were end-of-rotation players like Aaron Holiday and JD Davison. They couldn’t sign another guard since they’re right up against their first apron hard cap. Their only way to address the backcourt was trading one of their rotation players for one, which was a non-starter.

None of this mattered as both Thompson and Sheppard surpassed expectations. We’re now just over six weeks into the season, and the Rockets have coasted to a 14-5 start. They are third in the Western Conference and have the fourth-best record in the league. More notably, their 11.7 net rating is the second-best in the league, nearly two points higher than the third-best team.

They have a top-tier defense, which was expected. What wasn’t expected was them having the second-best offensive rating. They aren’t an elite shotmaking team, but they’ve gotten a big boost from their top-ranked offensive rebounding rate, which resulted in the most second-chance points per game.

There may be some legitimate questions about just how good they are. Their net rating has largely been carried by crushing inferior teams they should beat. Most of their losses have come against the best teams, but they’ve mostly been close games. If they could accumulate several impressive wins over the next few months, they may have a case as the second-best team in the league.

The Thunder’s dominance can make the effort by the other 29 teams feel futile. Front offices now must approach big decisions with that context in mind. Is it worth trading significant future draft assets to expedite the timeline? Will this specific move increase a team’s chance at beating the Thunder over the next few years?

These are questions that every team must honestly confront, and perhaps no team has better addressed them than the Rockets. They employ one of the league’s largest rotations, great for a defense to counter the Thunder. But each of the Rockets’ projected starters is also skilled offensively, either bringing a combination of shooting, driving, finishing, and passing to create a functioning modern offense.

The Rockets may not have constructed this roster with the sole purpose of beating the Thunder, but it seems like they put a lot of thought into it. If they can rack up wins against the league’s best teams, including the Thunder in January, it might be fair to contemplate if one of the league’s best-equipped rosters to take on the defending champs is a move away from beating them in the playoffs.

It’s worth noting that the Rockets are dealing with other injuries. Tari Eason is out with an injury that may keep him sidelined until January, and Finney-Smith has yet to play. They’ll want to see how their roster looks fully healthy before making any big decisions. They could decide to stand pat if they steamroll the league through the trade deadline.

However, VanVleet’s $25 million salary is a large cap hit occupying their payroll. As great as Thompson and Sheppard have been, it would be really nice if they had a player like VanVleet or even a slightly diminished version of him backing them up. If both Thompson and Sheppard developed to this level with VanVleet healthy, they’d have a deep and complete backcourt.

VanVleet was so perfect for the Rockets because he does the things they need on offense and isn’t a defensive liability. That might not be the case for Sheppard in a series against the Thunder. This isn’t to say he’d get played off the floor because they’ll still need his shooting. But he may often be the Rockets’ weakest link among their core in that hypothetical series.

The Rockets don’t need to trade VanVleet and draft equity for a starting-level guard. But it’s understandable if they have doubts about the type of player VanVleet will be at 32 years old after suffering a torn ACL. They’re a great bet to advance to the second round as is, which would mark progress from the previous season. The right trade could increase their chances of advancing further.