You know how it goes in the NBA by now – the rich get richer. After the Dallas Mavericks upped the Western Conference ante by trading for Rajon Rondo, an in-state rival made a move of its own. According to a report, the Houston Rockets have acquired veteran wing Corey Brewer in a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Final terms of the trade have yet to be made, but sharp-shooter Troy Daniels is part of a package heading to Minnesota and Ronny Turiaf will be joining Brewer in Houston. Via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
The Rockets have acquired small forward/shooting guard Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves, a person with knowledge of the move said…
Terms of the deal have not been announced but Troy Daniels is going to Minnesota as part of the deal.
Ronny Turiaf will also come to the Rockets but he is out with a hip injury and not expected to stay with the Rockets.
Feigen also reports that a third party could eventually be involved in the finalized trade:
The Brewer to Houston deal is still being completed and could be expanded, potentially with a third team involved, source said.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 19, 2014
Brewer provides the 19-6 Rockets with much-needed depth on the wing. He’ll surely supplant Francisco Garcia in the rotation, and will likely steal minutes from Kostas Papanikolau depending on specific matchups, too.
The quick and speedy 6-9 Brewer has a reputation as a great defensive player, but it’s mostly unfounded. Though he leads the league by swiping 2.25 steals per game, they mostly come via passing lane gambles as opposed to lock-down individual defense. Brewer can get lost off the ball and bullied in the post, attributes that contributed to Flip Saunders making rookie Andrew Wiggins Minny’s designated stopper.
Where Brewer will prove very valuable for Houston is in transition. There may not be a player in the league with a better sense of when to leak-out, and few can catch Brewer in the open floor, too. He could struggle playing in the Rockets’ halfcourt offense given his perimeter struggles, though, and will ideally make up for it with canny cutting ability.
Does this addition move the needle for the Rockets? Perhaps the slightest bit. Brewer is long and active defensively at the very least, and is certainly a better overall player than Garcia and rookie second-rounder Nick Johnson. Depth helps, basically, and Houston just added some.
What do you think?
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