NBA Draft: Did Rockets Miss Out on Trade for No. 3 Pick?

The dust has settled and the Houston Rockets are done with the 2024 NBA Draft.

Despite having two picks and a lot of chatter around possibly trading the No. 3 overall pick, they decided to keep their top selection, taking Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

There was potential for the Rockets to make a trade for a big-time player using the No. 3 pick, and Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz believes it may have been a mistake.

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"Along with Sheppard, the Rockets now have eight first-round picks from the past four drafts to develop," Swartz writes. "For a team that finished 41-41 and is hungry to make the playoffs, something is going to have to give. Seeing Houston trade the No. 3 overall pick along with some of its young core for a proven All-Star would have made far more sense for its present and future. Putting a veteran like Jimmy Butler, Paul George or even Kevin Durant on this team would have made the Rockets a lock for the playoffs.

"At some point, Houston will have to consolidate some of its young talent through a trade. Draft night was a prime opportunity to do so."

In a perfect world, it would be nice for the Rockets to have a star player in a trade, but Houston's choice to keep the pick likely shows that the opportunity wasn't there.

Ultimately, the Rockets had the chance to draft a very good prospect in Sheppard, and that was worth more than trying to get a player in a blockbuster trade.

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