Rumor: The Rockets are looking to trade for a lottery draft pick

The Houston Rockets are looking to add youth, as they’re reportedly interested in trading for a lottery-level draft pick.

The Houston Rockets have made their entire team available in trade talks, including Chris Paul and even James Harden. Of course, it would take a unicorn deal for Houston to move their MVP, but he isn’t officially off the table.

Houston is a team filled with veterans and they likely won’t be getting any potentially elite young talent any time soon, but Daryl Morey may be looking to change that.

According to Basketball Insiders’ Steven Kyler, the Rockets are looking to trade one their core players for a lottery draft pick.

The teams I have heard linked to Houston – Boston, Charlotte, Orlando and Dallas — Rockets seeking to change up the locker room and gain a lottery level draft pick. Capella, Eric Gordon, and CP3 are the guys they are aggressively trying to move. https://t.co/k9PwUqYtto

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) May 30, 2019

Kyler mentioned that Chris Paul, Clint Capela and Eric Gordon in particular are the names being thrown around from Houston. Apparently, Boston, Charlotte, Orlando and Dallas are at least interested in a potential deal with Houston.

Of the teams on that list, the Boston Celtics are the only elite-level team, the rest are either in the middle of the pack or at the bottom. If Boston gets wind that Kyrie Irving plans to leave in free agency, they could make a deal with the Rockets for Chris Paul. This is just pure speculation, but Danny Ainge is an aggressive GM, so a bold move from the Celtics wouldn’t be surprising and everyone knows they want Anthony Davis too.

The Rockets could definitely use a first-round pick, as they traded away a low 2019 first round pick in exchange for Iman Shumpert earlier this year, who is on an expiring deal and doesn’t really fit with Houston’s system.

Trading away Paul for a lottery pick would be difficult, especially because most teams with a high draft pick aren’t in win now mode and won’t trade away part of their future for a 34-year-old on a massive contract.

Moving either Capela or Gordon for a pick seems a lot more likely. Of the two, Capela is younger and will be around longer, but in the postseason and especially against Golden State, Gordon has proved to be the more valuable player for the Rockets.