Three weeks from the 2024 NBA Draft, the best advice is to believe nothing you read/hear — everyone is spinning, nobody is tipping their hand.
However, one rumor floated out this week by Kevin O’Conner from the Ringer passes the smell test: The Houston Rockets are very open to trading the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft.
League sources say the Rockets have had conversations with the Grizzlies about trading down from this pick, and that the Rockets hold out hope that the Nets would be willing to move Mikal Bridges for it. But those same sources say the Nets, on the contrary, prefer to add pieces around Bridges.
From ownership down, Houston is tired of losing and being in the lottery, so using the No. 3 pick in what is widely considered a down draft to bring in a player needing a few years of development doesn’t make much sense for it. Trading the pick to get either players who can help more now, or future picks (or some combination), makes sense.
It also makes sense that the Rockets would like to trade that pick for Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges. I would also like to trade my VW for an Aston Martin. It’s about the same odds of happening. The Nets have been consistent in saying they are hoping to use Bridges as a lure to bring another star to Brooklyn and build from there. They are not trading him for the No. 3 pick in this draft. Nice try, though, Houston.
There have been a lot more rumors about teams trying to trade out of this draft, which makes sense in a year front office’s see more projects than guys they are sure can help in the draft. The problem becomes if everyone wants to trade out the market for those picks, go down. Maybe at No. 3 Houston can find a team that has fallen in love with a player and wants to move up, but that is more likely to happen on draft night.
Everything right now is rumors and spin.
