Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[F Gump]

The Rockets trade I've seen repeatedly is Kyrie for Jabari, Sheppard, the Nets 2027 and the Mavs' 2029.  It's good to have picks, but I want nothing to do with those players. I feel like Smith is the antithesis of a Masai/Shmidtz cerebral player. And Sheppard is a defensive nightmare. If this was offered, I'd try to reroute the players.

I don't want to trade Kyrie. I'm comfortable with his value to the team, his salary is a bargain for a player of his ability, and I think he likes the peace he's found in the DAL world. And I'm not especially enamored of those players.

But I would do that trade, assuming it's those exact picks, and especially if Smith could be rerouted for another FRP as you suggest (and there would likely be matching salary player(s) to DAL). One plus is that it's a deal that probably also works at the deadline, as neither team is likely to be ducking some apron or hard cap. 

From HOU pov, Kyrie would certainly check a lot of boxes for them, not the least of which would be to make the roster more amenable to KD. And it's possible Kyrie would want to go to a contender, so there's that factor as well.