Last June, the Rockets believe they drafted a cornerstone player in Jalen Green with the No. 2 pick.
This June, the Rockets have the No. 3 pick and may be able to grab a player to pair with Green: Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, or maybe Auburn’s Jabari Smith. Any of those three with Green could set the Rockets’ foundation for the next decade.
Or, Houston could trade the No. 3 pick.
That’s on the table, Houston GM Rafael Stone said after the Draft Lottery on Tuesday.
#Rockets GM Rafael Stone says he’ll listen to other general managers who express interest in trading for the third-overall pick: “If there’s something that makes sense for both teams it’ll get done.” pic.twitter.com/Wyhr5amax2
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) May 18, 2022
Stone says the team is open to moving the pick. He said it’s an important part of his philosophy - you have to be open because you never know what opportunities will present themselves.
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) May 18, 2022
Stone is saying exactly what a GM should say, and if another team comes in with a godfather offer — one he can’t refuse — Stone will trade the No. 3 pick.
Don’t bet on it, though.
The best way to build a stable contender is to draft well and have a good player development program. It’s how the core of the Warriors was built, and the Bucks, and the Celtics, and the Grizzlies, and... you get the idea. There are still free agents forming superteams in the league, but that’s not how most teams can build (you need deep pockets in a major market/destination to pull together a superteam, and even then how did that go this season?).
Stone is trying to do it the slow and steady way in Houston, a change from his predecessor. No way he is giving up the No. 3 pick without an offer that would border on malpractice from the other team. The only question is who will be left on the board when he picks? (The early money is on Banchero, but things shift.)
