Houston Rockets Rank No. 5 Among Teams With Most First Round Picks

The Houston Rockets came in at No. 5 on ESPN's ranking of NBA teams that hold the most first round selections in future drafts.

Jan 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone (right) talks with Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, the ESPN's Bobby Marks ranked the five NBA teams with the most first round selections in future drafts.

The Houston Rockets came in at No. 5 on Marks' list, trailing the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz.

"We are still many moons away from judging if Houston's trade with Brooklyn in late June was a smart move or a historic mistake," Marks wrote. "The Rockets eliminated the right to swap firsts with Brooklyn in 2025 and sent back the 2026 first from the Nets. They still have the right to swap firsts with Brooklyn in 2027. In return, the Rockets received four draft assets: the right to swap firsts with Phoenix in 2025; the Suns' 2027 unprotected first; the more favorable 2029 Dallas or Phoenix first; the right to swap their 2029 first with the less favorable of Dallas and Phoenix."

Rafael Stone and company own eight incoming first round picks, which could turn into nine if the team lands in the top four of the NBA Draft lottery in 2026. While this is unlikely to happen, the Rockets still have plenty of draft capital moving forward.

According to Marks, the most valuable picks Houston holds are their 2027 pick swap with Brooklyn and rights to the more favorable Dallas or Phoenix's first round selections in 2029.

"It diversified our portfolio of picks going out, it pushed them out a little bit, which is really good for us," Stone said. "We're a very young team right now, so pushing those picks out and having some draft picks a little further out, we think make sense."

With a roster that is talented enough to compete for a playoff spot, Houston likely won't be picking towards the top of the draft with their own pick for the next few seasons. Adding more picks and swaps give the Rockets more ability to swap with a team who will pick early in the draft, or combine multiple picks into a trade to move up the draft board.

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