Rockets Not Expected to Target Trade Amid Reed Sheppard's Emergence

Houston's second-year guard is proving to be a viable option in the rotation, allowing the team to remain stable during trade season.

Nov 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) talks with Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

There was mild concern regarding the Houston Rockets when Fred VanVleet tore his ACL before the season started. The Rockets, who already lacked a viable guard rotation heading into 2025-26, lost their veteran floor general, which meant they were expected to turn to a committee featuring Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Josh Okogie.

However, through the first 16 games of the season, Houston is 12-4 with one of the league's best offensive ratings. The team is playing elite on both sides of the ball, looking like a legitimate contender for a deep playoff run.

Sheppard has been the Rockets' best surprise thus far, averaging 14.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game on incredible 49-46-71 shooting splits. The 6-foot-2 guard has fit in seamlessly with Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and the rest of the rotation.

The Athletic's William Guillory believes that Sheppard's early-season success means Houston will not go after a guard to replace VanVleet, shifting how the team will allocate future draft capital.

Before Sheppard's emergence in year two, the Rockets were an early team to watch in terms of acquiring backcourt talent, but he, Okogie and even Aaron Holiday have managed to step up in big ways.

"The potential of a Sheppard-Thompson backcourt can be pretty enticing, especially if Sheppard keeps improving as a playmaker off the bounce," Guillory wrote. "They complement each other really well on the offensive end and they’re both extremely disruptive on defense.

"Also, I’d say the second impact of Sheppard’s awakening is that perhaps Houston will be more open to the idea of moving some of its future picks, knowing it doesn’t make sense to keep adding so much first-round talent when you already feel pretty good about the 8-9 guys in the rotation."

Guillory also mentioned that the Rockets may target three-point specialists if they move some of those future picks. They rank first in three-point percentage (40.9%), but that hot streak isn't expected to last.

Durant is set to return for Sunday's game against the Utah Jazz, but VanVleet, Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith are key players who have been missing. Houston's rotation isn't even at full strength, yet the team is playing phenomenal basketball.

When everyone is healthy, at least this season, the Rockets could have a legitimate 10-man rotation. It appears that Houston will run with this committee right now, but there's still plenty of games left before trade season.