Rockets Trade With Magic? Here's Why It Should Happen
The Houston Rockets are set to pick third in the NBA Draft this week, but that might not be how things end up on draft night.
It seems pretty likely that Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith will be the first three picks in the draft, but the order in which those players go is a bit hazy.
The Orlando Magic will be the first team to make a selection, but the choice it makes could be to trade the pick to the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets have been heavily linked to Paolo Banchero since the draft lottery took place a month ago, and those rumors intensified when Houston general manager Rafael Stone met with Paolo Banchero hours before the team traded Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks.
Out of all three teams, there hasn't been a stronger team-prospect pairing than Banchero to Houston. The only problem the Rockets face is the Magic or Oklahoma City Thunder taking him before they can.
The Rockets are now in possession of three first-round picks this year. If the team picks at all three spots in the first round, that will mark seven first-round picks in the last two drafts, a difficult juggling act to complete when divvying up minutes.
If the Rockets traded the Magic the third pick and an additional first-round pick, say No. 17, that might be worth it for Orlando if the team is comfortable picking any of the top three prospects. The Rockets could also look to include Kenyon Martin Jr. in a deal as a sweetener after it was rumored that he requested a trade from the front office.
We likely know the Rockets' motivations behind this deal, but the Magic's motivations still remain unknown since the team has been very quiet with its hand.
There appears to be some kind of interest in all three prospects, and if the team has a favorite, then the team should stick to the course and take the top player on the board. But if the team has no preference, this potential deal is an absolute slam dunk for the Magic.
While the Rockets would be taking a risk with this trade and possibly making a deal that they don't need to make, a move like this guarantees that they get their guy.
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