Houston Rockets Could Receive Trade Offers From Two Teams Pursuing Donovan Clingan

The UConn center could help the Rockets trade down in the draft while maximizing value of pick No. 3.

Oct 2, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone smiles before the preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Houston Rockets be in the trade market to move down in the 2024 NBA Draft? Plenty of teams are going to be after UConn's Donovan Clingan, and -- with the Rockets owning the No. 3 overall pick -- teams could look to trade with them to try and secure the 7-foot-2 center.

For the Rockets, they are continually projected to select Kentucky's Reed Sheppard, as Clingan doesn't quite make sense in Houston.

247Sports' Adam Finkelstein reported that the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies are two teams to keep an eye on to move up, with the Rockets being a potential trade partner with their pick.

"Donovan Clingan is going to be one of the more interesting players to watch in this draft. There are a couple of teams that are being very active trying to trade up to draft the UConn big man," Finkelstein said. "Memphis and Chicago, in particular, I am hearing are making a significant attempt to move up to a position where they could draft Clingan."

The issue with those two teams trying to trade with Houston to secure Clingan is that both the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards could give the UConn star big man a look with their top-two selections.

"While Clingan is an option for Atlanta at [pick No. 1], and he's an option for Washington at [pick No. 2], there's a variety of places within the top seven that are not expected to be potential destinations for him, specifically because they already have their centers of the future," Finkelstein continued.

By staying put and opting to select Clingan -- the Rockets would be taking a new direction as a franchise. Rather than building an offense around Alperen Sengun, they'd be anchoring a stout defense with Clingan. It's very, very unlikely, and the Rockets could benefit from teams bidding for Clingan's services.

"He's not going to go to Houston where they have Alperen Sengun," Finkelstein reported. "The intel is, right now, Chicago and Memphis making very clear attempts to move up in the draft with hopes of taking Clingan with Houston being a potential trade partner there, that is certainly something to watch."

The Rockets could use pick No. 3 to trade back and add another win-now talent that fits the direction Houston wants to go as a team. They won 41 games a season ago, and can now make adjustments based on data received over the course of their most recent campaign.

---

READ MORE: Why the Rockets' Eventual Loss of Aaron Holiday Will be Bigger Than Expected

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Rockets on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.