Held in Brooklyn, New York, the 2023 NBA draft is one day away on Thursday night, June 22. The start time from Barclays Center is at 8 p.m. Eastern time, or 7 p.m. Central.
With that in mind, big boards are being finalized across the NBA as the lengthy pre-draft period enters its final hours.
In Houston, the top priority for general manager Rafael Stone is making the correct decision with the No. 4 pick. Be it making the selection, trading up or down in the first-round order or trading out for a veteran, the Rockets need to maximize the premium asset as they enter the next phase of a franchise rebuild.
The leading option, if they stay put, appears to be point-guard prospect Amen Thompson of the Overtime Elite.
Here’s a roundup of Wednesday’s news and notes related to the Rockets. With rumors reaching a crescendo on the NBA’s annual draft week, we’ll do this each day leading up to Thursday’s big day.
Amen Thompson increasingly the frontrunner for Houston
Thompson looks increasingly like the front-runner at this spot, with the Rockets weighing a big upside swing on the hope that he can become the type of connective guard their roster needs.
Cam Whitmore worked out for Houston this past weekend and has come up as a potential option. But its roster is replete with scorers, and Thompson’s potential to become both a lead playmaker and a perimeter stopper could round out this team quite nicely. His upside seems to far outweigh the concerns around his jumper, based on how teams are treating him in this process.
Rockets unlikely to trade No. 4 pick
The next legitimate trade opportunity appears to begin at No. 5. Houston has been mentioned for various trade possibilities with the fourth pick, but opposing front offices believe the Rockets, at this juncture, are more likely to stand pat and trend toward selecting Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson.
Rockets shopping No. 20 pick in trades
Houston is thought to be shopping this pick, with plenty of young players already on the roster and little need for additional rookies. The Rockets could be willing to move out in exchange for a future first-rounder and kick this selection down the road.
Hornets likely to draft Brandon Miller at No. 2
While Scoot Henderson has impressed Hornets staffers with his size and explosiveness, Brandon Miller’s perceived optimal fit next to LaMelo Ball seems too large of a factor for Charlotte to pass over.
Miller has been considered the favorite of the Hornets’ front office, sources told Yahoo Sports, and Charlotte appears headed toward selecting Miller after San Antonio crowns Victor Wembanyama as the No. 1 pick Thursday.
This genuinely surprises me, but if true, it would guarantee that one of the two PGs is on the board for Houston at No. 4 https://t.co/x8kBOIeaJS
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) June 21, 2023
Clippers offering 33-year-old Paul George for high lottery pick?
The Los Angeles Clippers have given teams the impression that they are at the very least trying to gauge the trade value of Paul George and are giving consideration to the possibility of actually trading him, sources tell Marc Stein of Substack.
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets have been identified as potential trade candidates. The Blazers own the No. 3 pick, which they have been shopping in potential deals to improve the supporting cast around Lillard. Houston owns the No. 4 pick and it is motivated to accelerate its rebuild this offseason.
(Marc Stein, Substack, via RealGM)
I do not believe the #Rockets are interested, and certainly not for the implied price of the No. 4 pick https://t.co/GozKJn4b1I
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) June 21, 2023
Rockets prefer Ausar Thompson to Cam Whitmore?
As talks intensified leading up to this week’s midway point with the draft some 24 hours away, Whitmore’s hype train seems stuck in its tracks. The Villanova wing’s workout in Houston was more of an informal session, team sources said, compared to that of the Thompson twins. Sources were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
The chatter about his stock sliding grows louder and while the recent national discourse has been Amen or Whitmore, the internal debate has shifted to Amen or Ausar, sources said. League and team sources are becoming increasingly confident the Rockets will stay the course and select Amen with the fourth overall pick should he be on the board.
