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

The The Houston Rockets had a great offseason he pointed out 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 by Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie, and re-signed Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, Ja’Sean Tate and Fred VanVleet.

unfortunately, VanVleet tore his ACL in the days before the start of the regular season. The injury threw a wrench into Houston’s plans, especially since guard was already arguably the Rockets’ biggest weakness, even before VanVleet went down. A fast, six-month rehabilitation was reported as a possibility for VanVleet, but more often than not, ACL tears take about a year to heal.

The Rockets should count on VanVleet missing this season, which means they should also look for a replacement point guard to help win a championship. The team wouldn’t want all of their offseason moves to go down the drain, so they should trade for Anfernee Simmons. So what would a deal between Simmons and Houston look like?

Rockets trade proposal for Anferni Simmons

Rockets get: Anfernee Simmons

Celtics get: Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green, two second round picks

While Reed Shepard has filled in for VanVleet admirably, and Amen Thompson is capable of taking over the ball-handling leadership role, the Rockets should still be looking for another point guard. Simmons happens to be one of the the hottest names in the trading market. Simmons was an offseason trade acquisition of the Boston Celtics.

The team has traded away a number of its top players in an attempt to control its finances ahead of a season in which Jayson Tatum will be sidelined. At first glance, the Simmons trade looked like a hit for Boston. He’s younger, cheaper and a better point guard than the player he was traded for: Jrue Holiday.

However, Simmons is under a one-year deal, and the Celtics may not be able to bring him back next year. Beyond that, the Celtics’ eyes are once again on their quest for a championship in 2026-27. Because of this, reports have long suggested the Celtics are interested in flipping Simmons. In this trade, Boston would trade Simmons’ production this season for a guard who could help next year.

VanVleet would fit in just fine with the Celtics’ 3-point barrage strategy. He’s also a former champion who would understand what it takes to compete for Larry O’Brien, which is Boston’s ultimate goal. Moving both VanVleet and Tatum after serious injuries wouldn’t be an easy task, but the move would significantly improve the Celtics’ ceiling when it comes time to once again be ready to compete for a championship ring.

Anferni Simmons would be a great fit for the Rockets

Durant is 37 years old. Although he apparently has plenty left in the tank, he won’t be able to stay one of them the best players in the NBA forever. That fact should have Houston in winning mode. Not only is VanVleet unlikely to be able to contribute this year, but there’s a case to be made that Simmons would be a better player going forward regardless.

Simmons doesn’t have the resume that VanVleet has, but he’s still only 26 years old and already has multiple 20-plus point-per-game seasons to his name. The IMG Academy keeper can score from all three levels of the field. His 3-point expertise, in particular, would help Houston’s offense.

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