A new report from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says the Houston Rockets are not trying to trade Aaron Brooks, which refutes a report out of New York this weekend which said Houston would indeed look to deal Brooks prior to the Feb. 24 deadline. From Feigen:
He could be moved by the deadline […] The Rockets, however, are not in talks to deal him and really don’t want to.
Brooks, 26, is in the final year of his rookie contract and will become a restricted free agent this summer. Last season’s Most Improved Player award-winner, Brooks has taken a step back this season, averaging 12.2 points and 4.1 assists in 24.1 minutes, compared to 19.6 points and 5.3 assists last year. He and coach Rick Adelman had a disagreement over the weekend, which led to Adelman suspending Brooks for one game.
As Feigen notes, Adelman would not commit to putting Brooks back in his playing rotation. His conclusion: “The Rockets have waited this long to make a move. They’re not going to make it even tougher just because one guy had a temper tantrum.” Thus, it seems unlikely the Rockets would trade Brooks simply for the sake of trading him.