Inside The Rockets

Rockets Trade No. 4 Pick for Star? There's 1 Problem ...

The NBA Draft is days away and the Houston Rockets have been rumored to trading the No. 4 overall pick for an established veteran.

Jeremy Brener

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The Houston Rockets have been flying in trade rumors ever since the team learned it would be picking No. 4 in next week's draft.

Many believe that the Rockets want to find ways to win sooner, and that could mean trading a top asset for a player that will help the Rockets improve from their 22-win mark a year ago a little bit quicker. Among those linked to the Rockets in trade rumors are New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Toronto Raptors All-Star Pascal Siakam.

However, Kelly Iko of The Athletic spoke on the HoopsHype podcast and laid out exactly why a Rockets trade would be difficult.

"The problem with trying to find a trade is whoever you trade the No. 4 pick for is someone you’d have to be OK with taking up a big chunk of your cap space," Iko said. "It has to also be somebody worth sacrificing the potential of the No. 4 pick. If you were to trade No. 4 for a guy like [Pascal] Siakam, does he move the needle enough..."

The Rockets also appear to be content taking a rookie with the No. 4 pick, but there's a caveat towards taking another first-year player. Considering the fact that the Rockets have seven first-round picks from the previous two drafts currently on the roster, and the potential for two more to join this year, opportunities for development for these young players is growing scarce.

It could be wise to package the No. 4 pick along with a couple young players who won't see considerable minutes to a team looking to offload a star.

The Rockets want to exit the doldrums of the NBA this upcoming season because they do not have control over their pick for next year's draft ... the Oklahoma City Thunder has that privilege after trading Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul back in 2019.

However, trading for a "star" that may not move the needle could be an even bigger risk that trying to develop a rookie like Brandon Miller or Amen Thompson.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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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.

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