1 deal Rockets must make with 2025-26 NBA trade season underway

The Houston Rockets had a great offseason that was highlighted by one of the biggest trades in NBA history. In a seven-team deal, the Rockets added Kevin Durant and Clint Capela. In addition, they signed Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie, and they re-signed Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, Jae’Sean Tate, and Fred VanVleet.

Unfortunately, VanVleet tore his ACL in the days leading up to the regular season’s start. The injury threw a wrench in Houston’s plans, especially because point guard was already arguably the Rockets’ biggest weakness, even before VanVleet went down. A quick, six-month rehab has been reported as a possibility for VanVleet, but more often than not, ACL tears take around a year to recover from.

The Rockets should be banking on VanVleet missing this season, which means they should also be looking for a guard replacement to help in a championship push. The team wouldn’t want all of their offseason moves to go to waste, so they should trade for Anfernee Simons. So, what would a Simons-to-Houston deal look like?

Rockets’ trade proposal for Anfernee Simons

Rockets receive: Anfernee Simons

Celtics receive: Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green, two second-round picks

While Reed Sheppard has filled in admirably for VanVleet, and Amen Thompson is capable of taking on lead ball-handling duties, the Rockets should still pursue another guard. Simons just so happens to be one of the hottest names in the trade market. Simons was an offseason trade acquisition of the Boston Celtics.

The team traded away a number of their best players in an effort to get their finances in check ahead of a season in which Jayson Tatum was going to be sidelined. At first glance, the trade for Simons looked like a hit for Boston. He is a younger, cheaper, and a better scoring guard than the player he was traded for: Jrue Holiday.

However, Simons is on a one-year contract, and the Celtics might not be able to bring him back next year. Plus, the Celtics’ eyes are set on again pursuing a championship come the 2026-27 season. Because of that, reports have long suggested that the Celtics are interested in flipping Simons. In this trade, Boston would swap Simons’ production this season for a guard who can help next year.

VanVleet would fit the Celtics’ 3-point barrage strategy quite well. He is also a former champion who would understand what it takes to compete for the Larry O’Brien, which is Boston’s ultimate goal. Navigating both VanVleet and Tatum coming off significant injuries wouldn’t be an easy task, but this move would significantly improve the Celtics’ ceiling when the time comes that they are again ready to compete for a championship ring.

Anfernee Simons would be a great fit for the Rockets

Durant is 37 years old. Although he seemingly has plenty left in the tank, he won’t be able to remain one of the best players in the NBA forever. That fact should have Houston in win-now mode. Not only will VanVleet likely not be able to contribute this year, but there is a case to be made that Simons would be the better player going forward, regardless.

Simons doesn’t have the resume that VanVleet has, but he is still just 26 years old and already has multiple seasons with over 20 points per game to his name. The guard from IMG Academy can score from all three levels of the court. His 3-point expertise, in particular, would help Houston’s offense immensely.

In Boston, Simons got off to a slow start this season, and his numbers are down significantly, but he hasn’t necessarily regressed. Instead, he is just playing a role for a team that is much better than the Portland Trail Blazers teams he grew up with. Simons’ ability to scale up or down is intriguing. He is talented enough to operate as a lead scoring option, so he could make a big impact after Durant’s inevitable retirement. In the meantime, Simons could take on a smaller but important role as the Rockets try to push for a championship.

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