With five days left until the 2021 NBA draft, it appears the Houston Rockets have not given up on their well-chronicled goal of trading up to No. 1 in the first round to select Oklahoma State wing Cade Cunningham.
In a video published on Saturday, league insider Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Houston general manager Rafael Stone remains in aggressive pursuit of the top selection. Among his comments:
I’m told they’re aggressively pursuing Detroit’s No. 1 overall pick. … The Rockets have some extensive research on presumptive No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. That’s a player they would target.
The No. 2 pick, which Houston currently owns, would almost certainly be a part of any trade between the Rockets and Pistons. Acquiring that draft choice would allow Detroit to select either G League Ignite guard Jalen Green or University of Southern California (USC) center Evan Mobley. The question is whether the teams can come to an agreement on the extent of additional compensation beyond the No. 2 selection.
Even as the days and hours tick down, it certainly appears that dialogue on the subject remains open and ongoing. It’s worth noting that Detroit hosted Green for a personal workout on Friday, which would seem to indicate that their decision is not locked in just yet.
The Rockets are pursuing the No. 1 overall pick from the Pistons, according to our #NBA Insider @ShamsCharania.
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— Stadium Bets (@StadiumBets) July 24, 2021
