Seattle Selected Landry and Sold His Rights to Houston
Seattle drafted Purdue forward Carl Landry with the thirty-first choice in 2007, then traded his rights to Houston. The Rockets sent cash and a future 2008 second-round selection that would eventually become No. 56 Sasha Kaun. Seattle had just drafted Kevin Durant second overall and made several other major roster moves, while Houston wanted an inexpensive power forward who could compete for minutes alongside its established stars. Unlike a speculative cash-only deal, the Rockets were acquiring a player who quickly developed into a useful NBA reserve.
Landry Became an Efficient Houston Scorer
Landry played forty-two Houston games as a rookie in 2007-08, scoring 342 points and converting more than sixty percent of his field-goal attempts. He appeared in sixty-nine games in 2008-09, contributing another 638 points and 343 rebounds. Landry wasn't a high-volume star, but he finished around the rim and brought important energy off the bench. The two seasons gave Houston 111 regular-season appearances, 980 points and 2,178 minutes of direct frontcourt production, an especially strong outcome for rights to an early second-round draft selection.
Another Fifty-Two Games Arrived Before His Next Trade
Landry started 2009-10 with the Rockets and appeared in fifty-two games, scoring 839 points while averaging more than sixteen per game. Houston subsequently traded him to Sacramento within a much larger exchange. That departure marks the end of the direct Rockets receiving-team return: 163 regular-season games and 1,819 points across the first two-and-a-half seasons. His later Kings and Hornets appearances should not be added to Houston's totals. The club nonetheless received a sustained contributor for a modest draft-night purchase and ultimately retained a tradeable contract in a more complex deal.
The Future Pick Never Produced a Seattle Franchise Player
Seattle obtained cash plus the 2008 second-round choice, which was used on Sasha Kaun at No. 56. Kaun later played NBA games for Cleveland after a separate set of rights and contract decisions, not for the SuperSonics or their Oklahoma City successor. Cash and an additional choice are legitimate assets, but their direct contribution fell well short of Landry's substantial Houston minutes. This is a clear draft-rights success for the Rockets, and the original modest C+ Houston grade undervalued the actual receiving-team production. Seattle's compensation deserves credit without invented Kaun playing time.
Final Verdict
Rockets Win. Houston earns A after getting 163 regular-season games and 1,819 points from Carl Landry before his 2010 trade to Sacramento. Seattle earns C for cash and the 2008 No. 56 draft selection, later Sasha Kaun, who never played a game for the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise. The acquired player created far more NBA value for Houston.