The Rockets aren’t currently slated to have a pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, with Houston’s first rounder going to Denver as part of a four-way trade for Robert Covington and their second rounder dealt in a prior move.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t ultimately secure a pick. Rockets GM Daryl Morey prefers to keep a developmental pipeline of younger players, and many teams are open to selling picks in the mid-to-second round — especially if they are concerned about running out of roster spots.
That dynamic led the Rockets to Vince Edwards in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, with Houston buying the No. 52 pick from Utah.
In a new Q&A with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Morey indicates that such a transaction might occur again in 2020.
Q: Is there a lot of draft preparation that would normally begin after the tournament underway now?
A: We don’t currently have a pick, but we have a long history of buying them, which I think has a reasonable chance of happening. We also might have a trade to trade (into the draft.) Actually, having no pick ends up harder than having a pick. You normally don’t want to roster more than one to three rookies in a given year. We generally like to roster at least one because I think it is smart to always have a developmental pipeline going.
You’re preparing for a much wider list. You have to be ready to trade into the first round. You have to be ready to buy a pick. You have to be ready for the crush as teams chase undrafted players. We’re going to prepare everything now because we just don’t know how much time there’s going to be between things like we normally know.
New #Rockets at #TXSN – Q&A: Daryl Morey on Rockets' title window, responding to critics, keeping Mike D'Antoni https://t.co/Q10mnc6ju6
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 1, 2020
Each NBA team has a limited amount of cash that it can use to facilitate trades in a given league year. (This year, it’s ~$5.6 million per team.) Other than a small amount held up in escrow as part of the Russell Westbrook trade, the Rockets have the vast majority of that total still available for 2019-20, if owner Tilman Fertitta is willing to spend it.
In June 2018, Fertitta did authorize a $1.5-million payment for the No. 52 pick from the Jazz, which Houston used to select Edwards.
This also means that the Rockets' remaining max cash limit for 2019-20 is $4.617 million. Even though the $1M is a contingent payment in 2026, it will come out of the 2019-20 cash allotment. https://t.co/N2TcbyonIa
— David Weiner (@BimaThug) July 12, 2019
The Rockets did not buy a pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but it was more that they couldn’t than wouldn’t. In that league year, nearly all of the team’s cash allotment was used in earlier trades to dump the contracts of Chinanu Onuaku, Michael Carter-Williams, and Carmelo Anthony.
For point of reference, the #Rockets spent $1.5M in cash to acquire the 52nd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (Vincent Edwards).
— David Weiner (@BimaThug) January 21, 2019
In 2020, the team’s position is much more analogous to 2018 (when they bought the Edwards pick) than 2019. That doesn’t guarantee a deal, but Morey appears to be operating as though it’s a real possibility.
The Rockets haven’t made a first-round pick since taking Sam Dekker in 2015, with Morey routinely trading those picks for veteran upgrades around James Harden to improve the team’s short-term odds of a title.
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