Houston Rockets Return on Brooklyn Nets' James Harden Trade Getting Richer

The Brooklyn Nets' future draft picks being controlled by the Houston Rockets is biting them in real time.
Nov 9, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks speaks during a press
Nov 9, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks speaks during a press / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft Lottery was on Sunday evening, revealing the order for the top 14 draft picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. There were a few notable shifts throughout the lottery -- which saw the Atlanta Hawks win the lottery, despite having the tenth-best odds at the draft's top pick.

For a couple of reasons, though, this lottery felt a little less suspenseful than normal -- with the first being the narrative around the class being one of the weakest in recent history. For Brooklyn Nets fans, the reason for maybe not paying attention is simple. The team had no skin in the game, as the Houston Rockets had control of their first-round pick.

READ MORE: The State of the Nets After the 2024 Draft Lottery Finishes

In a trade in 2021 which saw the Nets acquire James Harden, creating a trio with him, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the team sold out its future draft capital, giving control of their picks to the Rockets.

On Sunday, Nets fans paying attention to the afternoon draw might have winced when they watched their pick jump into the top four. With the Rockets in control of the pick, their logo jumped into the top four, though it was quickly drawn as the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

When the Nets initially made the trade, they were under the assumption the pick wouldn't amount to much. They expected to be competing for titles for years to come. A clash of personalities and play styles with an injury-prone trio, the Nets "super team" quickly dissolved. Finishing No. 11 in the Eastern Conference this season, the Nets could have a top-five pick, had they had control of their pick.

Nets fans can talk themselves out of being too sad, though. With the notion that the draft class is weak, they can either feel like they aren't missing out on much, or even trade into the draft if they've got a certain prospect they want to target.


READ MORE: NBA Mock Trade: A Swap of Mikal Bridges and Julius Randle

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Kade Kimble
KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022.