The Houston Rockets traded point guard Aaron Brooks to the Denver Nuggets for forward Jordan Hamilton in a swap of backups.
Because of his contract status, Brooks had to approve the trade. He will get increased playing time with the Nuggets as he heads into free agency.
Brooks, who had fallen behind Patrick Beverley and Jeremy Lin in the Rockets' rotation, averaged 7.0 points and 1.9 assists in 43 games for Houston.
Hamilton, a versatile wing scorer, was involved in trade talks with several teams, including the New York Knicks. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 38 games for the Nuggets. The 2011 first-round pick will be a free agent at the end of the season.
It was the seventh consecutive year the Rockets and general manager Daryl Morey have made a deal on trade deadline day.
