Houston’s prayer for Victor (Wembanyama) went unanswered, and the end result was the No. 4 pick in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft heading to the Rockets via last week’s lottery.
Several prominent prospects could still be on the board at that pick. The leading possibilities are Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite, Brandon Miller of Alabama or Amen Thompson of the Overtime Elite. But in an offseason in which Houston is rumored to be pursuing veteran free agents such as James Harden and Pat Beverley, some have speculated they might attempt to flip that top draft asset to another team in a trade for more immediate help.
If that’s the case, general manager Rafael Stone apparently will not have any shortage of suitors. Per Kelly Iko of The Athletic:
Multiple teams have already expressed interest in acquiring Houston’s lottery pick ahead of the June 22 draft, said league sources, who were given anonymity to speak freely. One of the underlying themes of the combine and hot topics stemming from last Tuesday’s result among league personnel was the expectation of Houston, Portland and Detroit aggressively seeking trades centered around their picks, albeit for different reasons.
Then again, Iko writes the Rockets are content with their choices at No. 4 overall — specifically, Amen and Ausar Thompson. So, it’s not as if they will force a trade unless Stone approves of the haul.
With the 2023 NBA draft not taking place until Thursday, June 22, there’s plenty of time for negotiations to take shape. Stay tuned!
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Version 1.0 of our draft notebook — What the #Rockets can do with the No.4 pick, early free agency plans + more intel.
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— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) May 23, 2023
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