Rockets Trade With Magic? Here's Why It Should Happen

The Rockets could end up trading with the Magic on draft night.

The Houston Rockets are set to pick third in the NBA Draft this week, but that might not be how things end up on draft night.

It seems pretty likely that Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith will be the first three picks in the draft, but the order in which those players go is a bit hazy.

The Orlando Magic will be the first team to make a selection, but the choice it makes could be to trade the pick to the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets have been heavily linked to Paolo Banchero since the draft lottery took place a month ago, and those rumors intensified when Houston general manager Rafael Stone met with Paolo Banchero hours before the team traded Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks.

Out of all three teams, there hasn't been a stronger team-prospect pairing than Banchero to Houston. The only problem the Rockets face is the Magic or Oklahoma City Thunder taking him before they can.

The Rockets are now in possession of three first-round picks this year. If the team picks at all three spots in the first round, that will mark seven first-round picks in the last two drafts, a difficult juggling act to complete when divvying up minutes.

If the Rockets traded the Magic the third pick and an additional first-round pick, say No. 17, that might be worth it for Orlando if the team is comfortable picking any of the top three prospects. The Rockets could also look to include Kenyon Martin Jr. in a deal as a sweetener after it was rumored that he requested a trade from the front office.

We likely know the Rockets' motivations behind this deal, but the Magic's motivations still remain unknown since the team has been very quiet with its hand.

There appears to be some kind of interest in all three prospects, and if the team has a favorite, then the team should stick to the course and take the top player on the board. But if the team has no preference, this potential deal is an absolute slam dunk for the Magic.

While the Rockets would be taking a risk with this trade and possibly making a deal that they don't need to make, a move like this guarantees that they get their guy.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.