Through all of the noise, the Houston Rockets stayed relatively quiet, making two minor moves. The first was exchanging second-round picks with the Boston Celtics, as Jaden Springer was the only player involved in the deal. He would eventually be waived, per Mike Scotto of HoopsHype.

The Houston Rockets made a last-minute move ahead of the NBA trade deadline Thursday afternoon to acquire center Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction.

The Houston Rockets only made minor deals at the 2025 NBA trade deadline. But the results of some other teams' deadline activity make Houston's future look much brighter.

While their Western Conference competitors engineered seismic deals that altered the NBA landscape — trading for Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and De’Aaron Fox — the Houston Rockets remained at a relative standstill as Thursday’s NBA trade deadline passed.