How Valuable is Rockets' No. 3 Pick?

The Houston Rockets have some power by holding the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener | May 25, 2024

Oct 2, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone smiles before the preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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The Houston Rockets hold the No. 3 overall pick in next month's NBA Draft, but there's reason to believe the team may trade the selection.

After selecting nine first-round players since 2021, there isn't a ton of space on the roster for the No. 3 overall pick to develop properly, and there isn't a surefire player that makes sense for the Rockets at that spot.

That's why Bleacher Report ranks the No. 3 pick as the 8th-best trade asset on the market.

"Houston likely wishes that the third overall pick would be higher in these rankings, but it might for the right team. Maybe there's a franchise out there that it feels it has to have Donovan Clingan (the latest No. 3 pick for B/R's Jonathan Wasserman), Reed Sheppard (ESPN's Jonathan Givony) or Nikola Topić (The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor). It only takes one interested front office to drive up the value of the pick," Bleacher Report writes.

Any of those players listed above would have a tough time cracking the rotation for the Rockets, so it makes sense for Houston to trade back. At the very least, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and the front office should be doing their homework to see if there is an offer worth taking. There will likely be a lot of parity in teams' big boards, and if the Rockets can get the player they want a little later in the lottery while also acquiring additional assets, they should look into it.

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Published May 25, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.