3 prospects the Houston Rockets need to target with the 16th pick

The Houston Rockets trade of Robert Covington netted them the 16th pick in the 2020 draft. These are the three prospects they should target.

The Houston Rockets trade of Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers netted them Trevor Ariza, a 2021 first-round pick, and the 16th pick in Wednesday night’s NBA draft. The Rockets went into the offseason without any pick in the 2020 draft and now find themselves with the first pick outside of the NBA’s draft lottery.

The Rockets have endured an offseason of upheaval with changes at both the head coaching and general manager positions. Out went Mike D’Antoni as the Rockets head coach and in went Stephen Silas, while Rafael Stone replaced Daryl Morey as general manager.

Now the Rockets’ MVP backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook are angling for trades out of Houston. The 16th pick will give Houston their first first-round pick since 2015 and a chance to start rebuilding a roster that looks certain to be very different than it was last season.

The Rockets need to target a high potential prospect regardless of their bust probability. The Rockets don’t own many of their upcoming picks after surrendering them in their trade for Russell Westbrook from the OKC Thunder in the summer of 2019. These are the three prospects that the Rockets should target to land their star of the future.

Next: Prospect No. 3