Rockets Could End Up With Lottery Pick Despite Surging Start

The Houston Rockets have the opportunity to grab lottery talent in the 2025 NBA Draft due to a pick that doesn't belong to them.

Mar 2, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) battle for a loose ball during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft is not the main priority for the Houston Rockets at the moment, most obviously because they're sitting as the second seed in the Western Conference with a record better than anyone could have expected. The Rockets were focused on drafting players for years in the early 2020s, but this season's surge has shifted the focus to the playoffs.

Despite the hot start, the Rockets could still end up grabbing one of the top players in June. This stems from a flurry of trades that resulted in Houston being able to get a high pick that isn't its own. The pick is still pending on how the season finishes, but as of now, the Rockets are technically in the running to land the No. 1 overall pick. The Phoenix Suns are struggling this season and hovering around .500 despite boasting a roster headlined by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

Based on a flurry of trades made dating back to when Russell Westbrook was sent to Houston, leading up to Kevin Durant's trade to Phoenix, here's how the Rockets are in place to have the Suns' lottery pick in 2025:

• The Oklahoma City Thunder have the right to swap its 2025 first-round pick for Houston's pick, which is protected for selections one through 10, or the Los Angeles Clippers' pick.

• The Rockets then have the right to swap its pick or the Thunder's pick to the Brooklyn Nets for the Suns' pick.

• If Houston's pick falls within the protected range (one through 10), then its obligation to the Thunder will be extinguished and the Rockets will instead have the right to swap its pick to Brooklyn for Phoenix's pick.

There are plenty of protections and obligations involving five teams, but the Suns ending in the lottery is what the Rockets are hoping for. If that happens, then Houston will have the chance to stock up on even more young talent. Phoenix is expected to finish with 37 wins at the moment according to Hoop Venue's win pace calculator.

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