NBA Mock Trade: Rockets Grab Scoring Punch from Utah Jazz

The Houston Rockets have been one of the more surprising teams in the NBA this season, boasting the No. 2 ranking in the Western Conference and the up-and-coming roster to prove it.

With players like Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and more, they've propelled themsevles with defense to the upper ranks of the West.

Still, it appears the the front office isn’t going to sit idly by, as they’ve reportedly done their due diligence on a few stars across the league, and more recently some front court depth.

As it stands now, the team needs firepower, and the Utah Jazz could be in position to offer just that as a seller at the deadline this year.

Let’s evaluate what a trade between Houston and Utah could look like in the coming weeks:

Houston Rockets get: John Collins

Utah Jazz get: Steven Adams, Jock Landale, 2027 Suns FRP (top-four protected), 2025 Rockets SRP, 2027 Rockets SRP

The centerpiece in this deal is Utah forward John Collins, who’s averaging 17.9 points on 53% shooting, with 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals to boot. While Collins might not be as flashy as a Kevin Durant or even Cameron Johnson, he’s likely one of a few offensive-minded forwards who could bolster the team without needing to give up a single piece of the young core.

Collins is shooting a career-best 44% from three so far this season, which would be an obvious boon to Houston’s efforts. He could slide in as a starting four, or even come off the bench for much-needed firepower in the second unit. He functions mostly as a play-finisher, transition threat and spot-up shooter, which would work seamlessly given Houston's abundance of play-makers in Sengun, VanVleet, Thompson and more.

In exchange, the Jazz get two smaller deals in Steven Adams and Jock Landale — who they could potentially flip elsewhere — as well as one first round pick and two seconds. Rotationally, Houston makes out very much in the green, offloading two players who have struggled to stick this season for one that would take up a bulk of minutes at the four.

From a draft selection perspective, this deal is somewhat costly on the Rockets’ end, but that’s likely what it will take to get a deal done with Jazz GM Danny Ainge. Protecting the Phoenix Suns’ 2027 first top-four somewhat mitigates the blow, just in case their Western Conference counterpart has blown it up by then.

The deal especially makes sense given Jabari Smith Jr., the Rockets starting power forward, has been sidelined for a few weeks and will remain so due to a hand injury sufferered in shootaround.

All in all, both franchises could benefit from a deal such as this, but both could be looking elsewhere as the deadline nears.

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