Rockets ranked No. 12 among NBA teams in future draft assets

Bleacher Report’s @EricPincus ranks the #Rockets at No. 12 among NBA teams in future draft assets, with incoming first-round capital from Brooklyn offsetting what is owed to Oklahoma City.

Though they’re still at least in some phase of a franchise rebuild, the Houston Rockets are clearly at a pivot point.

Starting with 2023-24, Houston’s next three years of its own first-round draft capital is largely controlled by Oklahoma City due to the ill-fated trade involving Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook in July 2019.

That’s a big reason the Rockets were so aggressive in signing veteran free agents Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks this offseason. Houston likely will not reap any rewards for being one of the league’s worst teams any longer.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that after the January 2021 trade that sent James Harden to the Nets, the Rockets control Brooklyn’s first-round assets through 2027. Here is Houston’s updated draft outlook through 2030.

There’s also the argument that Houston might not need prospects in future years. Talented young players Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are already in place from first-round picks in recent drafts.

Even so, draft capital can facilitate a blockbuster trade (Joel Embiid, anyone?). With that in mind, where do the Rockets stand among the NBA’s 30 teams? As one might expect, they are somewhere in the middle. The incoming draft capital from Brooklyn largely offsets what’s owed to the Thunder.

In a list placing the Rockets 12th among all teams, here’s how Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report sees Houston’s situation:

The Rockets still owe draft capital for Westbrook but also have a couple of potentially valuable unprotected firsts from the Nets for Harden. Houston always seems involved with the more complex obligations in the league, like the higher of the lower of the higher of the lower type swaps.

The first in 2024 to the Thunder is only top-4 protected, which may be why the team was more aggressive in adding quality veterans like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Even if the team tanked from the start, lottery odds wouldn’t guarantee that high a selection — and the addition of coach Ime Udoka wasn’t to continue mining the top of the draft for talent.

Houston also has a solid list of second-round picks, as two of the four contingent picks will likely stay, assuming the Rockets give their 2024 selection to Oklahoma City.

Pincus’ complete team-by-team ranking of future draft assets can be viewed here. Not surprisingly, with the Paul-Westbrook trade as a key factor, the Thunder rank No. 1 among the NBA’s 30 franchises.

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