Rockets Receiving Interest From 'Handful of Teams' for No. 3 Pick

The Houston Rockets are receiving major interest in hopes of trading the No. 3 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.

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

The Houston Rockets struck gold during the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. They received the No. 3 pick due to the trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021. And now, general manager Rafael Stone has a ton of flexibility to improve the team.

Stone believes the 2024 NBA Draft is "strong." However, there is a growing sense that the Rockets will trade their top selection. According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, several teams around the league have put in an inquiry for the No. 3 overall pick.

"Interested teams would either like to move up to No. 3 or ones that would like to move into the first round altogether, sources said." — per Iko.

Houston entered the lottery with the best chance of landing the No. 9 selection (50.7 percent), which was awarded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one team that could trade for the No. 3 pick. The Rockets are one of several teams hoping to get in on the trading sweepstakes due to the uncertainty surrounding all-star point guard Donovan Mitchell.

"I think the top of this draft is strong," Stone said after the Draft Lottery. "I think last year’s draft was a different draft than we’ve seen in a while just because there was so much attention focused on just one guy [Wembanyama], and that wasn’t the case in the two drafts before it, and I don’t think it’ll be the case this year."

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