This has been quite an interesting predraft process, especially in a class that is considered weak compared to its recent predecessors. Regardless of the evening’s outcome, the Houston Rockets are set for a busy day. They hold the No. 3 pick and know teams are interested in acquiring him. But the Rockets, who have historically sought flexibility, are quickly positioning themselves to become a power player.
Here’s the latest information ahead of Wednesday’s first round. Thanks for following along.
• The strange timing of the Mikal Bridges-to-New York trade (less than 24 hours before the draft) and the Brooklyn Nets sent signals of a much-needed rebuild across the league late Tuesday night. But according to team and league sources, Houston’s involvement in swapping picks with the Nets was less about any perceived hasty effort to add a superstar and more about an asset opportunity that presented itself.
Team sources said the Rockets are still interested in acquiring a star during this rebuild, but age, timeline, contract flexibility — and most importantly, timing — are all factors that will play a role in their search. The current superstar market is less than desirable; Kevin Durant is fond of head coach Ime Udoka, but he will turn 36 before next season and make $50 million, Donovan Mitchell has long-term interest but is ready to re-sign in Cleveland and Brandon Ingram is someone the organization has seen at the same level as Bridges.
• Getting back to Brooklyn, this wasn’t the first time the Rockets involved the Nets in acquiring draft capital from the Phoenix Suns. During initial talks, it was reported to Houston that Brooklyn planned to keep Bridges, in hopes of using the Suns’ choice of a star such as Donovan Mitchell or Damian Lillard to pair with the 27-year-old forward. Whether you attribute it to the Nets’ stubbornness or their determination to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, Brooklyn refused to accept Houston’s previous offer, even if it meant gaining control of their future first-round selection. No matter how tempting it may be. ,
In last month’s version 1.0 of our draft notebook, athletic The Rockets were reported to maintain strong interest in the Suns’ pick and planned to have discussions with the Nets again before the draft. Team sources said that before last season’s trade deadline, the Rockets had expressed a desire to add Bridges, but not at the price asked by the Nets. Houston executives were confident that two things would happen: a) it would be difficult for the Nets to attract another star, and b) they would realize it would be important to acquire their first-round pick with an unclear future.
According to team sources, the Rockets had no prior information about whether Bridges pressured the Nets and requested to be sent to the Knicks, but he always kept the door open to renegotiation. Brooklyn couldn’t trade its franchise centerpiece without controlling its assets moving forward, which naturally put Houston back in the table on Tuesday evening.
• The Rockets are now essentially in control of the Suns’ 2025 and 2027 first-round selections, still have the Nets’ 2027 firsts (in addition to their 2027 firsts) and have the right to choose the more favorable 2029 first-round selection . Between Dallas and Phoenix, a team source confirmed. In 2028 and 2029, Houston also has its first-round pick.
Rockets draft picks outgoing
2025 swap with OKC (top 10 protected)
2026 OKC 1st Round (Top 4 secured)rockets draft coming up
2025 swap with phx
2027 swap with bkn
1st round from 2027 PHX
2029 PHX or DAL 1st round (best)
Swap with 2029 PHX or DAL– Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) 26 June 2024
It’s a large amount of draft capital for the flexibility the Rockets desire, but team sources said it won’t impact their draft plans on Wednesday. Houston is still hungry for more.
• In recent days, the Rockets have fielded calls from around the league, with teams speculating Houston’s interest in moving down from the No. 3 pick. As a result, they are seriously considering a trade, team and league sources said, adding that interest appears to be growing. The Rockets know which teams are really interested and are prepared for multiple offers once they reach out in time, team sources said, because many of these potential trade-down deals already have the structure in place.
• Similar to the deal with Brooklyn, the Rockets are looking for future assets with high upside if they were to trade down from the third pick, team and league sources said — ideally with little or no protection. – Keeping an eye on movements down the line. Several lottery teams have already offered a pick along with a future choice in Wednesday’s draft, but there are also offers that don’t include 2024 for the first time. There is increasing talk that the Rockets are waiting until they are ready to see if interested parties become aggressive and improve offers, especially depending on whether the Hawks And who the Wizards pick at Nos. 1 and 2.
• This isn’t the first year the Rockets have been presented with a trade opportunity, but compared to 2023, 2022 or 2021, the trade seems more likely to be realistic. Still, there’s a chance the Rockets don’t get a good offer, in which case Houston would select the best player available with the No. 3 pick.
In version 2.0 of our notebook, Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan and Kentucky’s Reed Shepard were recognized as being in a different tier of their own, with Clingan overtaking Shepard as the top Rockets prospect. That’s still the case just hours before the draft, though Shepard visited the Rockets last Friday in a positive, private 1-on-0 workout that included Udoka and general manager Raphael Stone.
• Rival teams believe the Rockets have interest in Memphis’ Marcus Smart in a potential trade-down instance, despite recent pushback from team sources. The Charlotte Hornets have continued to express interest in acquiring the No. 3 pick, and a Western Conference executive has identified center Mark Williams as someone Houston may have interest in.
• There has been more debate about the 44th pick, a topic that has been prevalent around the league in relation to the second round of the draft. With teams unsure whether players who have second-round grades will be available, the possibility of some sneaking into the late first round is seen as a real possibility. Names like Cam Christie, Terrence Shannon Jr., AJ Johnson, Oso Ighodaro and KJ Simpson are worth looking at as first-round candidates. Team sources said Houston would likely select someone at the age of 44, but if most of their preferred players are already gone, a trade could occur.
• I can’t let you good people go without doing fake business. We know the Rockets are ready to move back up and both the Grizzlies and Hornets would be entertaining to move up. What if there was a way to satisfy all parties? (Assume team options on both Williams are picked up. A pair of 2024 seconds could also be swapped for a future Grizzlies first.)
(Photo of Rockets GM Raphael Stone: Troy Taormina/USA TODAY)
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