Rockets' Rafael Stone Ranked as NBA's Sixth-Best Front Office Executive

The franchise is certainly in good hands, after a successful rebuild.

Jan 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone (right) talks with Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Rafael Stone had quite a bit of work to do upon taking over as the Houston Rockets General Manager. The Rockets were one of the NBA's oldest teams and were quite devoid of draft capital.

Not to mention they didn't have a head coach, as Mike D'Antoni -- the winning coach in Rockets history -- failed to come to terms on a new contract, in a very public back and forth between D'Antoni's representation and the Rockets' brass.

Not to mention the Rockets' All-NBA backcourt duo needed to be split up, as James Harden and Russell Westbrook both wanted to be shipped out of town, after coming up short in the second round of the NBA's bubble in 2020.

Stone had career-defining decisions to make. 

Trading the second-best player in franchise history, who was still in his prime, wasn't going to be easy.

And Harden had his sights set on one destination: the Brooklyn Nets. Which always makes it more difficult, as the team of a player's choice isn't always compelled to pony up their best offer, since they're essentially bidding against themselves.

Stone was able to nab a historic haul of draft picks for Harden, landing three unprotected first-round picks from Brooklyn (2022, 2024, and 2026), along with four unprotected pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027). The Rockets also landed a 2022 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in the deal.

To date, Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard were selected with Brooklyn's 2022 and 2024 first-round picks, while the Nets' 2025, 2026, and 2029 first-round picks were sent back to Brooklyn, in exchange for the Phoenix Suns' 2025, 2027, and 2029 first-round picks.

The Rockets ultimately used the Suns' 2025 first-round pick to land Kevin Durant this offseason.

Not bad at all.

Then throw in Stone's home run hits in the draft (Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr.) and you have a 52-win team that finished second in the Western Conference in a five-year window.

Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach ranked front office executives across the league and the Rockets' shot-caller ranked sixth. 

"Stone inherited the tail end of the James Harden era in Houston. The Rockets had already begun to dismantle a contender, and they were going nowhere fast. In a few short years, which included a string of top-five picks, including Amen Thompson, Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr., Stone built a 50-win roster.

Now, he has taken the biggest swing of his career, trading Green in a package for Kevin Durant, who will mean the difference between whether or not Stone's work produces a championship in the short term."

Interestingly enough, Stone ranked much higher than Daryl Morey, his predecessor, who landed at 15th.