After acquiring the No. 16 overall pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft via the Robert Covington-Trevor Ariza trade, the Houston Rockets now hope acquire a second draft choice by buying one.
Per Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Rockets are hoping to buy a pick either late in the first round or early in the second round.
“Houston wants to continue stockpiling assets after getting two firsts from Portland in the Robert Covington trade,” MacMahon tweets.
Unless they trade away the No. 16 choice in a subsequent deal, it appears that Houston will be making a first-round selection for the first time since taking Sam Dekker in 2015. And it seems that they’re hopeful of perhaps being able to purchase a second one, according to MacMahon.
Each NBA team has a limited amount of cash that it can use to facilitate trades in a given league year. (This year, it’s ~$5.6 million per team.) Other than a small amount held up in escrow as part of the Russell Westbrook trade, the Rockets have the vast majority of that total still available for 2019-20, if owner Tilman Fertitta is willing to spend it. The 2019-20 league year does not conclude until after the 2020 draft.
In June 2018, Fertitta did authorize a $1.5-million payment for the No. 52 pick from Utah, which Houston used to select Vincent Edwards.
Before Daryl Morey’s departure, he had said there was a “reasonable chance” of the Rockets buying a draft pick, which seemed to signal that Fertitta had authorized spending that cash. As such, new GM Rafael Stone would likely have the same latitude to strike a deal.
With many NBA owners losing money due to COVID-19, it’s believed that more picks could be up for sale in the 2020 draft, relative to most years, and perhaps higher in the overall order. Wednesday’s draft is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Central, with a national broadcast on ESPN.
Source: The Rockets are seeking to buy a late first- or early second-round pick in Wednesday's draft. Houston wants to continue stockpiling assets after getting two firsts from Portland in the Robert Covington trade.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 18, 2020
