The Rockets don’t have to finalize their plans for the 2021 NBA draft until July 29, and it seems that they plan to use the time to their advantage. According to longtime NBA draft insider Chad Ford, Houston’s front office is split between the two most popular options at No. 2 overall — assuming they stay at that spot in the first round.
Those two leading options are University of Southern California (USC) big man Evan Mobley and G League Ignite guard Jalen Green. In his latest mock draft, which was published Thursday, Ford writes:
The consensus around the league right now is that it will be either Green or Mobley. You can make the case for either player in Houston, and sources say that there’s an internal debate as well with the analytics side favoring Mobley and the more traditional scouting side favoring Green.
Either player would be a major upgrade for the Rockets, but for now I’m sticking with Mobley here. His size and analytics advantages are just too good to pass on.
However, in confirmation of other widely reported news, Ford also reports that the Rockets are looking to potentially move up to Detroit’s spot at No. 1 overall. According to Ford, that could explain the recent rumor linking Houston to active trade talks with Indiana. He writes:
The Rockets are working hard to acquire more draft picks in an effort to move up to No. 1 to select Cade Cunningham. They’ve dangled Eric Gordon and one of their late first round picks to the Pacers in exchange for the No. 13 pick, in hopes that a combination of 2 and 13 would be enough for the Pistons to move down one spot in the draft.
Ford reports that all signs point to Cunningham being the top pick. At this point, it’s a matter of which team ultimately holds that slot.
Houston is picking second.
But: “The Rockets are working hard to acquire more draft picks in an effort to move up to No. 1 to select Cade Cunningham.”
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) July 15, 2021
