The Houston Rockets are interested in moving higher in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft in a deal involving at least one of their two current selections at No. 23 and No. 24 overall, according to media reports.
Houston already owns the No. 2 spot in the draft, but it appears they’re interested in potentially acquiring a second lottery selection (Top 14) as well, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “Sources say the Houston Rockets have been active [in] exploring the prospect of packaging picks 23 and 24 with assets they acquired in the James Harden trade to move into the lottery, which has so far been rebuffed,” Givony tweeted.
That would mostly mesh with a report by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who wrote Sunday that Houston had engaged Indiana on a deal potentially involving the No. 23 pick and veteran guard Eric Gordon for the No. 13 selection in the first round. Hours later, The Athletic’s Shams Charania wrote that the Rockets “have looked to use Gordon and one of their picks in the 20s to move up in the draft.”
With the 2021 draft now only a few days away on Thursday, July 29, expect conversations to get more serious throughout the week.
Sources say the Houston Rockets have been active exploring the prospect of packaging picks 23 and 24 with assets they acquired in the James Harden trade to move into the lottery, which has so far been rebuffed. New ESPN mock: https://t.co/VEdy8p5uV6
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) July 25, 2021
