I suspect that DeRo's stock is pretty low right now in the league.
It's likely that Houston traded him for James because his constant salary demands were proving a distraction for the team. If the situation hadn't been so, they would have extracted their pound of flesh from Toronto for Toronto to obtain a "star" from home.
Other clubs aren't going to have that "home star" factor, and they know that unless they pay him an amount way beyond his worth, there is potential for more disruption.
That's nothing to say about DeRo as a player, who has great ability, but plays in a salary-capped league with limited budgets.
