Houston Rockets Receive: F Josh Jackson, G Davion Mitchell, 2022 First-Round Pick (No. 4 – SAC), 2023 First-Round Pick (Swap – SAC)
Sacramento Kings Receive: C Christian Wood, 2022 First-Round Pick (No. 3 – HOU)
The Sacramento Kings’ interest in this trade boils down to how much of a potential impact they can see Christian Wood making.
This far into his NBA career, defense does not appear to be his forte, which has been displayed with the Houston Rockets. The same is true of Domantas Sabonis. The Kings would be assembling a weak defensive frontcourt with this trade, but the offense could be lethal.
Meanwhile, Wood may deserve the benefit of the doubt. He’s spent most of his career as a center. He’s one of the smallest and weakest in the NBA. If he shows a better propensity for guarding the perimeter in Sacramento, he could aid this team’s 2022-23 campaign considerably.
As for the Rockets, they’ll only be interested in trading back here if they don’t like the prospect who remains from the top three.
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Either they’re worried about Paolo Banchero’s fit with Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr.’s ceiling, or Chet Holmgren’s frame. If they’re not deterred by any of those factors, they’ll stand pat.
If that’s the case, there could be one more opportunity for the Kings to trade up, but it will cost them.
