Over the last three seasons of Houston’s franchise rebuild, maximizing draft capital for the Rockets has largely depended on them losing games. But starting next year, as draft obligations owed to Oklahoma City from the ill-fated trade of Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook come back into play, the focus shifts to the Brooklyn Nets.
From 2024 through 2027, the Rockets control Brooklyn’s first-round draft capital — either through direct pick conveyances, in even years, or the right to swap picks, in odd years. Those assets were acquired by Houston as part of the James Harden trade in January 2021.
The good news is that since Brooklyn’s decisions to trade superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant during the week leading to February’s trade deadline, the Nets are 8-15 (.348). If extrapolated to a full-season pace, that would make Brooklyn one of the NBA’s five worst teams, which makes owning its future draft capital quite attractive.
Moreover, if the Nets slide into play-in tournament range in the Eastern Conference and ultimately miss the 2023 playoffs, that could even give the Rockets a slight odds boost in the 2023 draft lottery, since Houston has the right to swap picks this year.
So, as Rockets head to Brooklyn on Wednesday night, there’s a rare opportunity for the Rockets to actually help their draft outlook by winning! (Though it should be noted that while their odds of landing one of the four lottery picks would benefit from defeating Brooklyn, Houston’s “pick floor” could take a slight hit by winning, depending where it finishes relative to Detroit and San Antonio.)
As for the short-term, it’s the final game of a brutal five-game road trip versus playoff contenders for the Rockets, who have looked increasingly worn down late in games over their past three games — all losses by 17 or more points. Overall, Houston has lost six straight games after a three-game winning streak.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, March 27
- Time: 6:30 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (18-58)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: KJ Martin
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Brooklyn Nets (40-35)
- Guard: Spencer Dinwiddie
- Guard: Mikal Bridges
- Forward: Cameron Johnson
- Forward: Dorian Finney-Smith
- Center: Nic Claxton
Projected lineups are based on each team’s previous game.
Injury reports
Houston’s injury report lists Jae’Sean Tate (left knee soreness) as out, while Ben Simmons (back nerve impingement) is out for Brooklyn. Edmond Sumner (right hip contusion) is questionable for the Nets.
