Ranking the Houston Rockets' top 10 trade assets

5. Nets 1st-round pick in 2026

This could be the jackpot of the James Harden trade. Brooklyn gave the Rockets two unprotected first-round picks for the ten-time All-Star as the Nets did not imagine things would blow up so quickly. They are holding a bunch of pieces, but can the Nets’ front office compile them into a contender? 

The most likely scenarios have this pick landing in the lottery. Ben Simmons comes off their books in 2025, and the Nets will likely have cap space, but can they convince stars to come to Brooklyn? Look what happened when that just occurred.

The Houston Rockets might be wise to trade this pick before teams know for certain. Some team will be able to convince themselves that the Nets will be bad, and that could mean paying a handsome price for this selection.

The Houston Rockets have a pile of valuable draft picks to put in a trade. They have the Clippers pick in 2023, plus 11 second-round selections that could be packaged to make a massive offer that boosts their odds of contending. Coupled with young talent like Eason or the next three players on this list that could create a blockbuster deal that has the entire league buzzing.