PHOENIX — The Houston Rockets made headlines earlier this offseason when they acquired the rights to a handful of future Phoenix Suns draft picks.

Rumors and speculation went wild, as numerous NBA insiders suggested the Rockets were eying a move for any of Phoenix’s superstars in the future. Local insiders denied such a potential move – at least this season – and thus far nothing has come to fruition.

It’s been months since those rumors died down, though in a recent piece for The Athletic, former NBA executive John Hollinger says Houston is in strong position to capitalize on Phoenix’s draft capital:

“What makes this so cool for Houston is that the Suns, despite their own underrated move this summer (more on that below), are rapidly hurtling toward Armageddon. Maybe not this year, maybe not even next … but it’s just around the corner. Owning late-decade Suns draft capital is a great business to be in,” wrote Hollinger.

“As the Suns’ old guys age out, their lack of draft picks and apron handcuffs the talent pipeline and the expense of a declining roster weighs them down, just look here … the Rockets are sitting there as a potential savior.

“Dangling the return of those two picks and some other goodies to get Devin Booker and let the Suns restart in two or three years is perhaps still an underdog bet, and much water will go under the bridge between now and then.

“However, this is some serious strategic thinking. It also has near-zero downside since the Rockets can always just, y’know, use the picks, and they improved their position vis-à-vis those as well. Thus, Houston might end up the real winners of the Bridges trade.”

While the Suns are in win-now mode, the future could certainly dictate how Phoenix goes about their offseason.

The Suns likely will have those picks dangled down the road by Houston – and though we may not immediately see anything evolve, that storyline is certainly something to monitor in the years to come and Phoenix’s championship window closes.