Thanks to February’s NBA trade deadline deal involving Eric Gordon and a pick-swap right obtained from the Los Angeles Clippers, the Houston Rockets moved up from the No. 30 draft selection (via Milwaukee) of the 2023 first round to No. 20 overall.
Despite that increased value, the Rockets might not stay there.
As part of Houston’s rebuilding movement in recent years, it already has a roster deep with young prospects. Furthermore, the Rockets are expected to sign several players in free agency with their league-leading figure of about $60 million in salary cap flexibility.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman reports:
Teams and agents do not expect the Houston Rockets to keep the No. 20 pick. This would be a spot on the board where Houston would simply look for a future protected first-rounder in return.
Effectively, general manager Rafael Stone could be hoping to roll over that asset into a future year in which Houston might not have as much of a roster crunch when it comes to young players.
Here’s a roundup of Monday’s news and notes related to the Rockets. With rumors reaching a crescendo on the NBA’s annual draft week, we’ll do this each day leading up to Thursday’s big day.