Rockets may have perfect trade partner after shocking draft lottery outcome

The NBA Draft Lottery is officially complete, so we now know where every NBA team will be selecting in this year’s draft. Unfortunately, Houston does not currently have a first-round selection because of the costly Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul trade.

What the Rockets do have is a treasure chest full of future draft capital. Houston has five first-round picks over the next three drafts, and some of those picks, like the two from Phoenix and the right to swap with Brooklyn in next year’s draft, look very enticing.

However, Houston also has a young core that is on the precipice of competing for a championship.

Waiting another one to three years to add another impact young player could come with risk. Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun are already good enough to help a winning team, and Houston should not waste too many seasons waiting for future draft picks to develop. Should the Rockets give up some of those future picks to move into the first round of this year’s draft?

This year’s draft is deep and addresses Houston’s needs

Houston has its franchise center in Sengun. It also has Thompson, whose best position is probably on the wing. Alongside them, the Rockets have combo big Jabari Smith Jr. and combo guard Reed Sheppard. That is their young core with long-term contracts. To supplement that group, Houston needs shooting and offensive creation.

In the latest mock draft by ESPN, there are several guards slated to go inside the top 10. Players like Darius Acuff Jr., Keaton Wagler, and Kingston Flemings are all projected to go in the 5-10 range, and each has the potential to be a game-changing offensive talent.

Wagler might be an ideal fit. Listed at 6-foot-6, he has enough size to play alongside Sheppard, but enough playmaking chops to handle point guard duties.

Acuff is probably the most explosive offensive option of the aforementioned trio. He averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists in his lone college season while shooting a blistering 44.0% from three. Houston suffered from an anemic offense in the postseason. Acuff could help initiate offense or play off-ball to create a much more potent attack.

What would be the price to move into this range?

Trading away multiple first-round picks for a selection outside the top four might be dangerous. There is, of course, the option to try to trade for one of the first few picks in the draft, but that would probably require a historic draft-pick haul in this year’s loaded class.

The Los Angeles Clippers have either traded or swapped their first-round picks until 2030. They might be interested in acquiring multiple future first-round picks to move off their selection at No. 5.

It would probably require a package like Phoenix’s 2027 pick, the right to swap with Brooklyn in 2027, and a future Rockets pick. It is possible even that would not be enough.

Three first-round picks for one selection may seem extreme, but impact players on cheap rookie deals are critical in the modern NBA. Additionally, as we have seen multiple times in recent history, future first-round picks are a gamble. There is no guarantee those future picks will ever be as valuable as the Clippers’ selection this year.

Houston should be looking to add another impact player who can address the team’s weaknesses. If the Rockets can add that player on a long-term, cost-controlled contract, they should be willing to pay a large price.

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