NBA Draft: Should Rockets Trade Up to No. 1 Pick?

An interesting proposition.

The Houston Rockets are slated to pick third in this month's NBA Draft, but there's reason to believe the team might want to move up in the draft.

While Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero all appear to be pretty even in terms of talent, the Rockets might prefer one over the others once the team hosts the top prospects. The only way to guarantee that the Rockets would get the player they want is to trade up to the No. 1 pick, which is currently held by the Orlando Magic.

The Magic seem likely to make the pick, but Orlando is listening to all options and can't afford to pass up every opportunity.

The 1-3 pick swap has been seen before in the NBA Draft. The last time it came about was as recently as 2017, when the Philadelphia 76ers traded up from No. 3 to No. 1 with the Boston Celtics. It cost the Sixers an extra first-round pick to move up two spots, and the Rockets are loaded with future first-round picks.

Is it worth giving up one of those future firsts to ensure you get your guy in this year's draft? That's the question general manager Rafael Stone has to answer by June 23.

On this episode of Locked On Rockets, host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by Philip Rossman-Reich (@philiprr_OMD) to discuss what the Rockets attempting to trade up to the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft would look like and what Orlando's approach is currently with the #1 pick. 

Then, Jackson shares thoughts on Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Celtics-Warriors and how what we're seeing in the Finals can relate back to Houston as we navigate the early stages of a rebuild. 

Lastly, Jackson runs a segment from Locked On Sports Today in which host Peter Bukowski interviews seven time champion and Houston Rockets legend Robert Horry about the NBA Finals and more.