The Houston Rockets struck gold during the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. They received the No. 3 pick due to the trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021. And now, general manager Rafael Stone has a ton of flexibility to improve the team.
Stone believes the 2024 NBA Draft is “strong.” However, there is a growing sense that the Rockets will trade their top selection. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, several teams around the league have put in an inquiry for the No. 3 overall pick.
“Interested teams would either like to move up to No. 3 or ones that would like to move into the first round altogether, sources said.” — per Iko.
Houston entered the lottery with the best chance of landing the No. 9 selection (50.7 percent), which was awarded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one team that could trade for the No. 3 pick. The Rockets are one of several teams hoping to get in on the trading sweepstakes due to the uncertainty surrounding all-star point guard Donovan Mitchell.
“I think the top of this draft is strong,” Stone said after the Draft Lottery. “I think last year’s draft was a different draft than we’ve seen in a while just because there was so much attention focused on just one guy [Wembanyama], and that wasn’t the case in the two drafts before it, and I don’t think it’ll be the case this year.”
