Brooklyn Sent Patty Mills and a Second-Rounder to Houston
On July 6, 2023, the Nets traded veteran Australian guard Patty Mills and a 2028 second-round selection originating from Milwaukee to Houston for future draft considerations. The Nets official release provides both the player and pick terms and identifies Mills’s two-year Brooklyn tenure. Houston was participating in several moves as it assembled a different mix of guards around a young roster. Brooklyn was trimming its veteran backcourt and salary costs. The agreement must not be combined with other multi-team trades announced that summer, and the inherited asset list should not be interpreted as a guaranteed first-round pick coming back from Houston. Future draft considerations are inherently less specific than a named selected player, especially before a pick chain is fully resolved.
Mills Did Not Become a Long-Term Rockets Rotation Guard
Mills had played 40 Nets games in 2022-23, with two starts and averages of 6.2 points and 1.4 assists in 14.2 minutes. Those Nets numbers are evidence of the kind of veteran shooting Houston was taking on, but they are not Houston points or starts. The Rockets promptly moved Mills onward during the offseason before he could establish a long-term regular-season role there. Houston’s C+ inherited grade therefore represents temporary control over a useful contract and a future second-round pick, not a claim that Mills played multiple full Rockets seasons. He had been a championship reserve in San Antonio years earlier, but those Spurs achievements should not be credited to Houston or attributed to this deal.
The Pick and Contract Flexibility Were the Real Assets
Houston controlled the 2028 Milwaukee-sourced second-rounder and a veteran contract that could be routed through further deals. Brooklyn received future considerations and a reduction in immediate salary commitments while changing its guard depth. The Nets C grade reflects flexibility but an imprecisely described direct draft return. A second-round selection can produce a useful player, but its eventual holder and draft outcome are different questions from which club initially obtained the pick in July 2023. The Rockets’ slightly higher grade rewards their asset position rather than realized Mills NBA playing time. No subsequent three-point shooting season by Mills with another team belongs in the Houston column. The narrow inherited Rockets Edge is more a salary-and-draft trade result than a conventional starting-player upgrade.
Final Verdict
Slight Rockets Edge. Houston receives C+ for Patty Mills’s contract and a Milwaukee-origin 2028 second-round pick, although Mills did not become a Rockets NBA regular. Brooklyn receives C for future considerations and salary flexibility. The future pick’s eventual outcome is not assumed.