2024 NBA Draft: Houston Rockets Most Likely to Own No. 44 Overall Pick

After ties were recently broken by the NBA this week, the overwhelming odds are that the Rockets' second-round pick (via the Warriors) will be pick No. 44 overall.

Jun 24, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone reacts during a / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets are well positioned in the first-round of the 2024 NBA Draft, with a selection that is projected to be in the top 10. With that in mind, this class should provide an opportunity to land an underrated contributor in the second round given the depth of the draft and uncertainty that could result in players falling. 

The NBA recently broke a series of ties around the league, which not only settled several first-round slots in the draft order, but also helped further solidify the second-round order. 

The reason these tiebreakers impacted Houston is because the Rockets own the Golden State Warriors’ second-round selection in June's event. 

With a record of 46-36, the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings ended the season in a three-way tie. This meant they would select in some order between picks No. 13 through No. 15 in the first round and No. 43 through No. 45 in the second. The Heat made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, so we’re by default slotted into that last spot of the three. From there, the Kings won the draw against the Warriors, which put Sacramento first and Golden State (No. 14 and No. 44) second in this group of three. 

Since the Rockets own that Warriors pick in the second round, it’s extremely likely that Houston lands the No. 44 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The only way that pick spot could change is if the Warriors have tremendous lottery luck and climb into the top four at the NBA Draft Lottery next month. That would then impact second-round order between these three teams. 

In any case, the Rockets will have a pick in the middle of the second-round, which most likely will be No. 44 overall.

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