NBA Draft Rumors: Rockets Trading No. 4 Pick?

The Houston Rockets could look to trade the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener | May 23, 2023

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The Houston Rockets have a lot of paths they can take when it comes to the No. 4 pick in next month's NBA Draft.

The Rockets could opt to keep things simple and keep the pick, taking their best player available with the selection. The team could also look to trade out of the pick, which The Athletic confirms that there is interest from around the league.

"Multiple teams have already expressed interest in acquiring Houston’s lottery pick ahead of the June 22 draft, league sources, who were given anonymity to speak freely, said. One of the underlying themes of the combine and hot topics stemming from last Tuesday’s result among league personnel was the expectation of Houston, Portland and Detroit aggressively seeking trades centered around their picks, albeit for different reasons," Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes.

The Rockets have a desire to be better this season, especially considering that they don't control their 2024 first-round pick. If that pick lands outside of the top four, it will be conveyed to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook trade back in 2019.

The Rockets could look to trade that pick and move up in the draft if they prefer Scoot Henderson, who will likely be gone by the time Houston is on the clock ... or they could trade down or out, acquiring a player who helps the team win sooner.

It's a big decision for the franchise's future, which is why the Rockets would be smart to explore all possible options as the draft inches closer.

The 2023 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, June 22 at 7 p.m. CT from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

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Published May 23, 2023

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.