HOUSTON ADDS HILLIARD, THEN FLIPS HIM TO CLIPS
The Houston Rockets acquired swingman Darrun Hilliard from the Detroit Pistons for cash.
What does it give the Houston Rockets
Just as they do with DeAndre Liggins's contract from Dallas, here Houston adds another in Hilliard's--that it then packages (along with five other Rockets contracts) to the L.A. Clippers--with Chris Paul coming the other way. The NBA requires trade assets to be fairly even for both teams, so Hilliard's small salary is packaged with six others to make up for Paul's massive contract.
What does it give the Detroit Pistons
It's not yet obvious which way the Pistons are leaning this off-season with their roster strategy, but shedding Hilliard's contract gives them a little more financial flexibility moving forward. He was mostly at the end of Detroit's bench or in the D-League (now G-League) last season.
Fantasy impact
It remains to be seen where Hilliard ultimately winds up before next season starts. Combine that with the fact he was not a fantasy-relevant player last season, and there's no notable fantasy impact from this swap.
