NEW YORK – Happy Draft Day to everyone celebrating. After today, you probably won’t see a mock draft, a big board, or hear about workouts and interviews for a while.
This is an interesting early process, especially in a class that is considered weaker than its recent predecessors. The Houston Rockets are in for a big day regardless of the outcome of the night. They hold the No. 3 pick and know teams are interested in acquiring him. But the Rockets, who have always sought flexibility, are positioning themselves to be a power player soon.
Here is the latest information before the first round on Wednesday. Thanks for following us.
• The peculiar timing of Mikal Bridges’ trade to New York (less than 24 hours before the draft) and the Brooklyn Nets seemingly making an organizational shift toward a much-needed rebuild sent signals across the league Tuesday night . But Houston’s involvement in trading picks with the Nets, according to team and league sources, was less about a rushed attempt to add a superstar and more about an asset opportunity that arose.
The Rockets still have interest in acquiring a star during this rebuild, team sources said, but age, schedule, contract flexibility — and most importantly, timing — are all factors that will play a role. in their research. The current market for superstars is far from desirable; Kevin Durant likes head coach Ime Udoka, but he’ll be 36 before next season and making more than $50 million, Donovan Mitchell has long-standing interest but appears ready to re-sign in Cleveland and Brandon Ingram is someone the organization considered. in a level similar to that of the bridges.
• Coming back to Brooklyn, this wasn’t the first time the Rockets hired the Nets to acquire draft capital from the Phoenix Suns. In early conversations, it was communicated to Houston that Brooklyn planned to keep Bridges, hoping to use the Suns’ picks to trade for a star like Donovan Mitchell or Damian Lillard to pair with the 27-year-old forward. . Whether you want to attribute it to the Nets’ stubbornness or determination to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, Brooklyn refused to accept Houston’s previous offer, even though it could have been tempting to regain control of his future first-round picks. .
In last month’s version 1.0 of our notebook project, The Athletic reported that the Rockets maintained strong interest in the Suns’ picks and planned to revisit discussions with the Nets before the draft. Before last season’s trade deadline, the Rockets expressed a desire to add Bridges, but not at the Nets’ asking price, team sources said. Houston executives were hoping two things would happen: a) the Nets would struggle to land a second star, and b) they would realize the value of owning their first-round picks with a murky future.
According to team sources, the Rockets had no prior information whether Bridges was forcing the Nets’ hand and asking to be sent to the Knicks or not, but had always left the door open for renegotiations. Brooklyn couldn’t trade its franchise centerpiece without having control of its own assets, which naturally brought Houston back to the table on Tuesday night.
• The Rockets now essentially control the Suns’ first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, still have the Nets’ first-round pick in 2027 (in addition to their own first-round pick in 2027), and have the right to choose the Nets’ first-round pick in 2027. 2029 the most favorable. between Dallas and Phoenix, a team source confirmed. In 2028 and 2029, Houston also has its own first-round pick.
Outgoing Rockets draft picks
Swap 2025 with OKC (top 10 protected)
2026 1st round to OKC (top 4 protected)Rockets draft picks are coming
2025 exchange with PHX
2027 exchange with BKN
2027 1st round of PHX
2029 1st round of PHX or DAL (best)
2029 Exchange with PHX or DAL–Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) June 26, 2024
That’s a considerable amount of draft capital for the flexibility the Rockets want, but it won’t necessarily impact their draft plans on Wednesday, team sources say. Houston always wants to know more.
• In recent days, the Rockets have fielded calls from around the league with teams weighing Houston’s interest in moving up from third. As a result, they are seriously considering a trade, team and league sources said, with interest apparently growing. The Rockets know which teams are actually interested and are willing to entertain multiple offers once they are on the clock, team sources said, because many of these potential discount deals already have structures in place.
• As with the Brooklyn deal, the Rockets are seeking future assets with high upside potential if they were to trade up from the No. 3 pick, team and league sources said — ideally with little or no of protections – with an eye on subsequent movements. Several lottery teams have already offered a pick in Wednesday’s draft as well as a future pick, but there are also offers that don’t include a top pick at all in 2024. There is a growing sense that the Rockets are waiting to get to work to see if interested parties get aggressive and improve offers, especially depending on who the Hawks and Wizards select at Nos. 1 and 2.
• This isn’t the first year the Rockets have been presented with trade opportunities, but compared to 2023, 2022 or 2021, the odds of a trade happening are higher. Still, it’s possible the Rockets don’t get a good offer, in which case Houston would sign the best player available with the No. 3 pick.
In version 2.0 of our notebook, Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard were identified as belonging to a distinct tier, with Clingan narrowly edging out Sheppard as the Rockets’ top prospect. That’s still the case hours before the draft, even though Sheppard visited the Rockets last Friday for a private, positive 1-on-0 workout with Udoka and general manager Rafael Stone in attendance.
• Rival teams continue to believe the Rockets have interest in Memphis’ Marcus Smart in possible downside trades, despite recent pushback from team sources. The Charlotte Hornets continue to express interest in acquiring the No. 3 pick, and a Western Conference executive has identified center Mark Williams as someone Houston could be interested in.
• There was more debate about the 44th pick, a prevalent theme around the league regarding the second round of the draft. Teams don’t know if players they hold second-round grades on will be available, so the possibility of some sneaking into the back half of the first round is considered a real possibility. Names like Cam Christie, Terrence Shannon Jr., AJ Johnson, Oso Ighodaro and KJ Simpson are ones to watch as first-round candidates. Houston will most likely select someone at 44, team sources said, but if the majority of players they like are already gone, a trade could come to fruition.
• I couldn’t let you go without throwing you a fake deal. We know the Rockets are ready to move back and the Grizzlies and Hornets would consider moving up. What if there was a way to satisfy all parties? (Assuming team options on both Williams are selected. Could also trade the pair of 2024 seconds to a future Grizzlies first.)
(Rockets general manager Rafael Stone photo: Troy Taormina/USA Today)