Houston Rockets Draft Decisions: Who Will Be the #3 Pick?

Houston Rockets Draft Decisions: Who Will Be the #3 Pick?

welcome into the podcast uh it’s draft week we are absolutely entering the probably one of the busiest times for the NBA which is NBA Draft week not just because of the draft and because of uh you know all the the new players that are come in through college and g-league and overseas to teams but also because so much trade activity is going to happen in the NBA this week I’m here with my good friend and your good friend as well David weiner you know him as be a thug both on clutch fans and on uh social media on Twitter uh David good to have you here Dave I just have one question would you have drafted Harold Miner over Robert Ory yes absolutely would have that is uh definitely an age um uh that was the desire at that time was go for the flashy player and that boy that really did not work out so it’s kind of funny we’re actually uh you know in this draft it’s you know it’s been hashed over and over again um right now it looks like the Rockets choices are probably going to come down to Reed Shepard and Donovan kingan I’ve always thought Stefon Castle would be in the mix too we just haven’t heard much about him um but so much David as you know uh the draft is Wednesday the second round will be Thursday so much can happen between now and then but at least where we’re sitting right now here Monday uh at in draft week it sure looks like it’s just going to hinge on whether Donovan cling goes number one or not if Zachary Reet goes number one there’s suddenly some drama and some interesting things that could play out for the rockets at three if uh Donovan kingan goes one it’s probably gonna come down to Reed or ree which we have heard almost no buzz about Zachary ruche um and the rockets he did not work out for Houston he worked out for Atlanta at one he worked out for Washington at two and he worked out at San for San Antonio at four um but that might very well be because he believes he’s a top two pick and San Antonio is a strong trade candidate um but for whatever reason we’ve heard almost no buzz about recent St to Houston so it it that’s the what it looks like right now to me Atlanta is still the team that’s holding everything up we don’t know what they’re going to do what are your thoughts about the Rockets heading into the draft uh this Wednesday I mean pretty similar to what what you just said Dave um I mean I think as far as Alexander sawar uh what you know again we’re all we know is what’s out there and a lot of teams are tight lipped about this draft especially given how flat it is at the top but uh you know all indications are that sar’s probably going to go to Washington at two uh he continues to refuse to work out for Atlanta at one because I think probably correctly he you know the SAR Camp probably views Washington as a better situation and when when was the last time a top Pro thought that the Washington Wizards were the best situation so that is true that is true so I think we can we can cross saw off the list of possibilities for the rockets at three um I agree with you I think right now it’s probably between Reed Shepard and Donovan kingan if like the reports from Kelly EO are true and you hear some trickling from people like Jake fiser and others that that indicate that that those are the the top two guys on the Rockets board um I don’t know if you saw the earlier today we’re taping this on Sunday um Kevin Pelton came out with his uh with his stats only his stats uh his stats related uh draft rankings which combine the stats only with the with the conventional rankings and uh Reed Sheard was clearly the number one analytics pick on stats only and and sub and hence he was the number one overall pick on on pelton’s board um he was not shy about saying how uh the Rockets have used uh analytics in the draft probably more than more than most teams and and have hence gotten the most value based on those models uh in the draft whether uh you know shenon tar een um you know the being two two pronounced examples the you know outside the top 10 but uh you know it gun to my head if there’s no trade it I it seems to be leading towards Reed Shepard is is my guess it does certainly the hype I think the I think everything up until maybe uh five or six days ago before Jeremy woo of ESPN had kind of said that there was some buzz from the rockets that they were interested in read Shepard I think everything up to that point had been speculation the rockets need shooting the Rockets focus on analytics and Reed Shepard shot over 52% from three-point range a hair under 70% true shooting so all analytical models are going to blow up for Reed Shepard without a doubt I think where I kind of questioned Reed Shepard to Houston and where maybe it’s not the home run that everyone else thought is is his size and eme Oka and what does he want to to build it’s the emay factor basically coming in here um and if eem sold on Reed Shepard then I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s where they would go Donovan kingan is the guy I thought despite the fact that in the immediate this team really doesn’t need a center they’ve got Al shenon they’ve got Stephen Adams they’ve got Jack landel though I I would expect him to be more salary potential trade you know fodder if you will um but if they’re going BPA I really thought klling in looked like a special Prospect let’s see if he falls to three and if the Rockets actually have to choose between the two players um kingan would still be who I who I would guess but I I agree with you I think um right now with what we’re seeing come out of the Rockets or just seeing at least reportedly uh from the Rockets Reed Shepard is probably a strong bet not to mention we don’t know what Atlanta’s going to do Donovan kingan could go number one and then that might make it um you know a lot easier for the Rockets to pick but you know I’m a little surprised by it because I felt to be honest with you that the top three early on would be in some order SAR re kingan um and let’s we could talk more about Reed and Shephard excuse me Shephard and uh kingan but I do want to talk to you about trade down possibilities which I would not rule out as well for the Rockets because it feels like um they might get somebody that eay just loves at 78 and I certainly have a few names in mind pick up a future asset which you know sort of kicks the can for them to be able to be in a position for a superstar trade later I know a lot of teams like to to say that but the Rockets still want to be in that position um what are some of your thoughts on that I’m sure they’re strongly looking at that it also could hinge on whether kingan’s available who seems to be the guy that most teams are interested in moving up matter of fact I’d say that’s the only guy we’re really hearing consistently that teams want to trade up for um what are your thoughts on on trade down possibilities for the Rockets what okay so trade down POS certain trade down possibilities I have as as my preferred outcome for the Rockets again so much depends on how far you’re trading down and how premium a future draft asset you’re getting um you know I I don’t want to trade down 10 spots for a lottery protected pick you know that I’m not interested I’d rather have Reed sheeper um but at the same time if I can come away uh I’m just going to throw a couple names out there we don’t have to get into them yet we can talk about them in more detail later but if we’re trading down a few spots and still getting a guy like Devin Carter and a Premium Future draft asset I would be ecstatic with that because the fact of the matter is we have a lot of young guys we don’t have much playing time we have like half a rotation spot open right now barring a trade and we do have a nice War chest if you combine future draft assets with young Talent we have as good a war chess as most teams uh but you would agree that’s primarily young Talent right not the pi more on the young Talent like you know Oklahoma City has more picks San Antonio has more picks Utah has more picks but when you really dig down like how many absolutely premium picks do those teams have not that many probably you know you have a lot of mid to probably mid to late picks coming there uh maybe some late lottery picks but when you know we got six young guys that are all you know would go the top near the top of this draft uh plus you’re adding the number three pick or you know depending on what we do with it um I think the Rockets are as well positioned and and National NBA guys have said this repeatedly the Rockets are as well positioned to make a star trade as almost any team in the league and I think especially with this draft being relatively weak at the top I think having a Premium Future asset like a lightly protected pick in the next couple years maybe a little further down the line depending on how premium is that is lightly or unprotected will get is probably more important to the trajectory of this team winning a championship than any guy we get at the top of this draft that’s just my personal opinion so I have a go I’m sorry go ahead Yeah Yeah so basically to sum up I I would I think the Rockets are probably looking very much so to trade down and I think the possibilities of clinging uh ending up at three um I think are quite realistic you know you we’ve heard some rumors about Atlanta and San Antonio maybe doing a swap of one for four and maybe they Atlanta gets some of their draft assets back from San Antonio uh and I don’t know if that’s for the spur first to take Reet um but there’s multiple scenarios either Atlanta takes Reet they trade with the Spurs and the Spurs take Reet that result in kinging at three and I think if if klling is there at three I agree with you Dave that that’s the guy more teams seem to want to trade up for than anyone else and I think when the rocks are on the clock and clinging still on the board they’re you know I’m sure they’ve done their due diligence but they’re going to be Fielding calls for that pick and it has to be the right trade but yeah if they can find it that’s that’s my preference and and I’ll say if it’s Memphis at nine it has to be more than the right trade it better be like a an extreme overpay because I I mean I know we saw this last year OKC traded Derek Lively in the draft to to Dallas ended up burning them in the you know first round of the playoffs both teams have a long future ahead so I don’t want to say that that one you know playoff series made that a bad trade necessarily but you give Donovan kingan to the Memphis gley that is the the one gaping hole on that roster um and if you you know if they were able to fill that by just giving up a future pick um that could spell trouble for the Rockets especially considering the Rockets are kind of right there on the bubble we don’t know what’s going to happen this off season as far as you know what teams are gon to take a step back if any do do the Clippers lose Paul George for example what else could happen in the west but Memphis is one of those teams that’s trying you know that if everything goes well for them and it didn’t go well for them last year um you know they could be right there in the playoffs again and that makes it tough for the Rockets to get in there so I I don’t want to go off too much on Memphis but I do worry a little I’ll agree with you on Memphis I think you were they were without for most or all of last season John Morant Brandon Clark Marcus Smart and uh and Desmond Bane and all four of those guys are going to play most of next season like they’re right back in the playoffs so I understand like I would probably do it for an unprotected a totally unprotected pick and you just kind of you you bet against Memphis but if they’re giving us you know top what a you know Lottery protected top 10 protected I’m not wild about that to trade all the way down to nine I think and I’m guessing you’ll agree with me the spots that make more sense both from where we would end up in the draft and teams that have premium future assets I’m I’m looking at Charlotte at six Portland at seven San Antonio at eight and yeah I wouldn’t even rule out San Antonio at four if the right player and you know I really felt like the Rockets getting Intel on San Antonio at four was key it just could could decide so much just knowing what they want I know Kelly EO of the athletic had kind of mentioned some teams wanted to get ahead of San Antonio at both four and eight in different spots of course the Rockets can really only help right now at at uh three which gets ahead of of teams at four but you know it’s going to it’s funny you mention Devin Carter’s name because I don’t think anything has linked the Rockets to them but I was going to bring him up because he’s Thea player in the draft he absolutely is I say Stefan Castle is as well but Castle’s probably you know a couple years away Carter’s older and he’s probably more uh ready to play and more impactful I think that really does matter to em ojoka and I know that the Rockets organization as well kind of felt like they were done with the whole 19-year-old um you know type scene now don’t get me wrong they’re still fine drafting a 19y old putting him in the in the pipeline send them down to RGB whatever it may be but they want to win and they want to make you know if they can take some of these assets and and take a big step forward they want to do that I think that’s going to be an overriding theme in general this even after the draft is still seeking that star trade um but Devin Carter comes to mind I think if you’re uh you know there’s a home run swing ton Salon or Saloon I think is how you say it is interesting as well I could see them taking a flyer on somebody like that um Cody Williams is somebody I really liked and previously I still think he’s kind of intriguing and then of course uh Kelly EO mentioned Dalton connect is a guy that some uh people within the Rockets organization like as a Poss although very curious to see he he I I agree with you Dave I like Alon connect as well I think he’s probably the second best shooter in this draft behind Reed Shepard but he’s got NBA size and NBA athleticism I think um although it’s curious Kelly Kevin pelton’s um stats models projected he does not rate well on the stats models now I think that was had more to do with him not being very good before last year and taking a huge jump I think that also hurt Devon Carter in the stats models I think if they weren’t you know because for those that don’t know Devon Carter his first two years was just meh and he got so much better this year he and connect but and Devin Carter’s I think if you were just looking at this year you know Devin Carter’s probably the second guy behind Reed Shepard in the stats models interesting certainly had a huge jump as far as three-point shooting and seems like a guy that a lot of contending teams were hoping to get at 18 1920 and he is completely uh blown those projections out of the water he’s going to go in the lottery um and you know who knows that could be a guy that Spurs try to pick up at eight but I definitely have had in the back of my mind him as a target for eay if he has the say that I think he does with the Rockets if they trade down pick up an asset gives Rafel what he needs um I can see Devin Carter being that kind of guy so I would say you know gun to my head this is the second time I’ve said that in this this pot but if you’re saying 5 years from now who was the player in this draft most likely to be a valuable rotation player in the NBA I’m saying Devon Carter no I’m not saying he’s the best player I’m saying he’s the most likely to pan out yeah I I think he’s going to be good yeah how good we’ll see um you know real quick on Shephard and kingan I think Shepard’s exciting I think it’s if you if you draft re Shepard I’m on board to me that tells me and again I’m saying if they do it if they take him I have some concerns but if they take him and kind alleviates those concerns because I you know he checks a lot of boxes the the problem is the size issue and whether emo Oka really wants if he feels this guy could be part of a switching program which is what the future is going to be for the Houston Rockets switching can he will he be able to to guard wings and that kind of stuff um you know some of the the the blow buys and how he’s been beat beaten defensively at times concerns me but this is a special shooter there’s no doubt the shooting is going to translate um and that’s always in demand and he does have a high IQ he’s made great passes if you if you check out a lot of his Clips the guy can make good reads but it’s gonna come down to whether he is a eventually a starting caliber point guard in the league and does he fit next to amen Thompson or whatever you hope to build there with the back court you still got Jaylen green and and Fred for the rest of this year at a minimum um that’s that’s sort of the questions that I have with him but but you know shooting um I think his ability to pass his uh you know I think his toughness um overall skill set is going to be really good I still prefer kingan I if I if I had to say I think kingan you know I know the Rockets philosophy on centers and I know that using the third pick of the draft seems pretty pricey for how they view centers I think it’s clinging they’d have to have the view that kingan is a special Prospect in that regard um and that’s kind of how yeah and that’s kind of how I view it is I feel like this guy um I don’t think he’s rudig go bear I’m just saying he could have that kind of an impact on a team where he just shuts everything down in the paint possibly down the line is better um in defending in space than we think and I I’m not even concerned about his offense I know that’s been knocked around as some sort of o i I don’t see that I think he’s going to be a good passer I think he’s going to be a guy who’s going to get better as he goes offensively um but the defense is what you know draws me the most with him so I I just want to see the Rockets have the choice between the two I think if they take re Shepard over kingan great but I want to see both of those guys available when they when they pick at three yeah I’m with you on this Dave you know I’m sorry I’m agreeing with you too much this is making me sick no you’re fine but but no I’m fine with whoever the Rockets take really you know if it’s Shepherd if it’s kinging if it’s castle if it’s somebody else um they they’ve I think they’ve earned our trust over the last last few drafts just the their hit rate um but you know again me personally it takes to to Tango but if they can move down get a guy like Devin Carter plus a Premium Future asset I think i’ take that over either shepher or cling it if if we’re talking a truly Premium Future asset yeah I think I take that out I think that would be my preferred outcome I I think there would be a lot of Anger from fans but it would be a good it would be a good outcome I I I just I just think you those two pieces I I could see Carter as the backup point guard on a championship team and that pick again it has to be a really good pick um a pick that is likely to be near the top of its draft yeah um but but if we can end up with something like that that piece is so critical if the goal is to if we don’t think the best player on this team is the best player when we win a championship is currently on this roster that kind of piece is so critical towards getting that player do you think there’s any way to trade down to six or seven and I mean I say there is a way to trade down to six or seven but do you think there’s any way that Reed Shepard could actually be available there I think it really depends on what San Antonio is doing I think a lot of people believe that they would just scoop him up right there but you possibly have uh castle and what what direction would they go between those two me I think I think teams you know it could be the team that’s trading up with you wants Reed I think San Antonio and Detroit and Charlotte I think are all three teams that desperately need shooting so I would be shocked if we traded you said trade down to six or trade down to seven six or seven is what I I think San Antonio and Detroit or Detroit would would take him because they need shooting and and Reed Shepard’s just an elite shooter and you know Detroit’s similar to us they have athletes to play around them um San Antonio I think was the worst shooting team in the league last year um I just would be shocked if Shephard fell to six the the Charlotte thing throws me off a little bit because they do have Mark Williams who’s had a ton of injury issues but kind of a similar build as a kingan he’s got I think a seven seven wingspan like kingan does um and has been good when he’s played but he you know like I said he’s had a bunch of injury issues hasn’t produced a ton as a result of that just in the in the volume but um you know what kind of is it just future picks that interest you in any kind of trade down are there any players out of that group like Mark Williams I don’t know if that’s too rich to give up Mark Williams to go from six to three or I mean all all our indications are that Charlotte is not trading Mark Williams yeah if they were I’d be I’d be very interested I think he’s uh you know I I would say is probably a better Prospect but I love Mark Williams coming out in the draft and it just makes you wonder though who Charlotte would be going for at three if not clinging I think he’d be going for Shephard okay well that would be interesting that would be the first report I’ve heard of somebody trading up for or wanting to trade up for shephard I mean I know you’re not reporting that I’m just saying I just would be shocked if if San Antonio he’s not you know it’s probably Reet and and Shephard at the top of their board as my guess sure that that’s that’s totally fine you know as far as um anything else that’s just what I think it’s going to come down to whether Clingan goes one I have a hard time seeing Quinn Snyder pass on him but how much say does he have in this whole thing and is Ree AET who I think a lot you know outside of Jonathan gabone a lot of uh draft analysts have kind of questioned Rees aay and how you know he should be this high but I you know I’ll give credit to Jonathan gavone he has been consistent that this guy’s number one or two he’s always been up there for him um I tend personally I trust gavone in the sense that I think he is talking to teams he’s talking to agents and that’s the lay of the land I don’t think he’s going out on his own and saying hey I’ve assessed this guy and I think he should be number one I think he’s talking to people and knows that’s the market for him so Atlanta if they’re really considering between those two great I think we should all want Rees AET to go number one then you’ve got options and you let the Rockets choose from there um but that’s so you were asking about like what what do I have in mind like about as far as picks go so Le let’s talk very briefly about Charlotte at six Portland at seven San Antonio at eight I think each of those teams could offer something premium so for Charlotte I’m thinking I want they they owe a lottery protected pick to San Antonio next year but if it doesn’t convey next year it immediately turns to sec to Second rounders so I want the the lottery the protected Lottery portion I want that pick um you know if if uh if they’re if they want protect I might be willing to top four protect it so if it’s five to 14 we get the pick and if not it rolls over like unprotected the next year or the year after that’s rich three spots in this draft exactly that’s um so to give you some perspective the the Luca Trey Young trade um in 2018 Atlanta traded the number three pick which became Luca donic for the number five pick Trey young and then a I believe it was a uh top five protected pick the next year and that was just from three to five I think it became cam reddish right it came it became cam reddish I think he was the 10th pick the next year okay but I think it was only top five protected so the the trade itself was three for five and a top five protect that pick the next year so I don’t think it’s wholly unreasonable if you’re trading from 3 to six to ask for a top four protected pick the next year I I mean maybe maybe we the Rockets just couldn’t get that but that’s what I’d be asking for if I’m raell and if if Charlotte’s like oh we’ll give you a lottery protected pick in 2027 I’m hanging up the phone um so so that’s Charlotte um and feel free to chime in if you have thoughts on those particular ular types of assets um Portland at seven they have Unfortunately they have ow a lottery protected pick to to Chicago uh that rolls over for several years um but what they one well this is a combination of picks and I threw this out on Twitter a couple days ago in 2029 I know that seems like forever from now but keep in mind that this is a we’re we’re we’re looking long range here we’re trying to build a championship team in 2029 Portland has its own pick Milwaukee’s pick and Boston’s pick all unprotected while it’s a little further out than I’d like if I’m raell I’ll say I’ll give you three for seven but I want the best of those three picks in 2029 unprotected now you know we we think Boston’s going to be great forever but you know all good things come to an end Portland’s probably going to get better over the years but man I’ll tell you what I would be surprised if Milwaukee was still good in 2029 I there there’s a decent chance Milwaukee’s gonna suck oh you but we’re talking about five years out I don’t care what three franchises you pick right now I’ll take the best of three franchises in the NBA from five years out yeah that’s that’s an expensive price I don’t I don’t know if Portland would do it I threw it out on Twitter and it was I I think the majority of people either would take it or want it just a little bit more I don’t think you’re going to get more than that but um I think only 20% of people that I pulled said absolutely not I’m telling you what if they could get that they’d do that trade um that’s the kind of pick I’m looking for um and then for San Antonio they have San Antonio is gonna they could potentially three lottery picks next year they are rich yes I agree they and they they have uh Atlanta’s unprotected pick you know they have that team is coming by the way guys not just because of Wy I think they are on the way um they’re if they end up hitting with these two picks they’ve got a lot more coming and players want to come to San Antonio to play with WBY just because he’s going to he is generational um that’s going to be a problem so Rockets gonna have to be quite aggressive I’m not looking for a future Spurs pick I mean maybe next year’s Spurs pick but uh beyond that I’m guessing you know five years out the Spurs pick’s not going to be very good but the Spurs own other teams picks yeah they have several other teams picks and if you can get like Atlanta’s unprotected pick next year or if even better the better of San Antonio’s or Atlanta’s pick unprotected next year like that could be Cooper flag you know that that could be the number one or number two pick next year I have a hard time thinking anybody to give up a number protected 25 you know what I’m saying I think it’s just because of the Cooper flag aspect I just think every minimum top one protection you know right it’s it’s th this is what you know I’m talking three for eight not three for four um and I’m guarantee you rael’s had these conversations already and someone’s hung up the phone on somebody else but these are the types of assets I’m looking at like it’s you know we like to think oh number three number three the Third pick of the draft well you know it’s not all third picks are created equal but ifan raell these are the types of assets I’m asking for you may not get them but all it takes is one team to say yes and teams could be saying no no no right now but on Wednesday night if kingan or whoever the team really really wants to move up for if that guy’s there and the rockets are on the clock does that that no become a yes yeah that’s that’s what I’m hoping for and it’s all like as you mentioned it’s all based on if their guy is there you know of course any team that moves back has no guarantees and or it could the the trade also could be contingent upon the Rockets guy being there at seven eight or nine or wherever they they move to uh and the rockets are content with drafting that Target outright and then they can just I think there’s only eight or nine guys I really really like in this draft and then after that there’s guys I like but not as much and you might as well have the 19th pick than the 15th pick for all I care yeah by the way Paul George this mysterious stuff going on with Paul George right now where you know there’s some Buzz about him possibly opting in I do think the Rockets would be behind a little bit in the line the Rockets will absolutely try for these things if KD does this the last time a Clipper star decided to opt into his contract and negotiate a trade to another team what happened what what happened then um I think he ended up a Houston Rocket that that I think was Chris Paul who did that so who interestingly enough may end up back with the Clippers this summer but yeah I I tend to think other teams like the Knicks which get mentioned um heck even OKC if they really wanted to get you know aggressive there there probably will be some other teams but the Rockets are going to to be aggressive on exactly this type of thing if Paul George wants to be here the Rockets will try to make something happen and that’s when you have to look at the core six and say you might see some you know one of those guys get moved it’s possible um so keep an eye out for that in general this summer I’m just making that a consistent theme that’s what they’ve wanted to do I remember back in the the trade deadline where Tim McMahon uh talked about this and said the rock you know as far as the jayen and Jon stuff and saying hey the Rockets still are looking to to make a significant upgrade and they got trashed a lot for that or he did I should say and it he was right that is exactly what the Rockets are going to be trying to do now whether they’ll be successful or not you know that’s anybody’s guess but they’re gonna get involved if any of these names come on the Block um this summer so watch for that um as far as you know how it ties into this draft as well yeah I mean there’s only so many players of that caliber that you know you got to jump on it when the scenario presents itself but it’s just those are few and far between I mean we we love the core six we think they’re great you know and you don’t want to trade them for you know some Rando out there but if a real star becomes you know available we can’t be too precious we can’t be too precious absolutely and just some other you know house cleaning type stuff I I will say as far as kinging if he doesn’t end up with the Rockets I do hope ends up with the Hawks because we do need that team to be better than Brooklyn next year that’s a key thing especially with Chicago possibly on the door of a rebuild and and bowing out which is kind of a little bit concerning for the rockets and also keep an eye that we mentioned Paul and George are the Clippers just the Clippers Lakers Suns um those teams uh Warriors as well the ones that are older and have to make a move forward or are just going to Decay and crumble here at some point um those are the ones that are really kind of keeping the Rockets from you know being in the playoffs right now and and the rockets have to you know on their own pass them but keep an eye on those four teams in the west uh this summer to see what what actually happens with them the draft uh we really haven’t even talked about pick number 44 which I know is kind of an afterthought for most Rockets fans but not for you David I know that’s the most important pick yeah I know second round pick guy around the way he uh he’s real excited about it I say you could you would probably throw in the third pick to move from 44 to 31 right to get at the top of the second round that that I have to think long noid um no I mean is there anybody I mean Jamal shed is a guy I’m intrigued by I have to admit I know he’s a local guy um Aden Bona is another guy I think I’m I’m really interest you know kind of curious about Isaiah Crawford those are a few guys I think that I don’t know if they’ll you know end up being there at 44 but those could be interesting that’s also a possible trade chip it could just be traded for a future second rounder um but there are a few guys that the Rockets might find a Hidden Gem there yeah I mean I’m I’m very intrigued to see what the Rockets do at 44 they obviously given the number of young players They’re bringing back especially if they keep the pick um I would be very surprised if they traded out of the draft out of the first round completely so they’re going to be adding a first round pick um if they’re bringing back the the you know non-g guaranteed team option guys Tate Jeff Green lale to you know even just to keep them a salary filler for a big trade there not many roster spots left and it’s possible you know we always say best player available BPA BPA it’s possible the Rockets may look to trade the pick trade for a future pick Kick the Can get a you know hopefully multiple future second round picks uh or if they use the pick they may be looking for a stash pick you know a guy like uh Juan Nunes is a 6’4 point guard who I believe is gonna gonna run point for Real Madrid uh next year and Dave you know how I like Real Madrid point guards absolutely I mean if we could just talk about that guy for 15 years about bringing him over be fantastic I we need we need that replacement yeah so you know a guy like Nunes um someone to be stashed overseas um with you know first round talent that we can maybe bring over in a couple of years or they may look and this has become increasingly prevalent more prevalent in the NBA over the last few years is maybe not getting the best player available getting the best player available willing to sign a two-way contract uh a lot of guys especially in the second half of the second round we’re right there in the middle of the second round um you see a lot of guys that you know like Austin Reeves a few years ago um there was a reason he wasn’t drafted uh I personally had an early second round grade on Austin Reeves the reason he wasn’t drafted is he told teams I’m not signing a two-way contract and he if he was willing to do that he would have been picked in the second round for sure um a lot of guys you will see guys get drafted in the second round that are not as good as guys that that are undrafted because there’s going to be those guys that unless you’re a very early second rounder if you refuse to sign a two-way contract you may just go and draft it so the Rockets may be looking like who’s the best guy on our board who said he’s willing to sign a two-way contract and that may be who we may be a little underwhelmed with who they take for that reason it wouldn’t surprised me just again given the fact that there’s a scarcity of roster spots and they’re going to want to use those very few open roster spots on Veterans you know it’s interesting because you you got me thinking about the Rockets depth which they have quite a bit right I mean there’s there’s no doubt about that even at pick number three it’s going to be a problem no matter who you who you draft it’s going to create competition and somebody’s development Capital may go down a little bit just just the way it is shenon Jabari Jaylen doesn’t matter somebody could lose a little bit of luster uh because you’ve drafted some other Prospect or that person may not get as much shine I think when you look at pick 44 um it just makes it tough M as a matter of fact I’ve heard that the Rockets being kind of stacked as far as their depth not so much like star-laden or anything like that but just really good players has made it hard for H to get players into work out up for the number three pick they did they obviously didn’t have SAR ree which they could have the number two and even though it’s been reported about clinging I’m I’m hearing they didn’t get clinging it they they got shepher in but um you know no kingan so you know I don’t know kingan’s represented by the same agent as shenon right yeah that’s that’s a that’s a big thing too because um you know just in general we I think we mentioned this before but it’s Sean Kennedy who’s his agent and Sean Kennedy if he’s just doing his job is not going to want to put two of his better clients who both are viewed as starting centers that he you know his ultimate goal is to get Max contracts for both whether that’s realistic or not to have them both on the same team is a problem so if kingan is yeah if kingan’s actually drafted here um they’re gonna have to figure something out uh you know with him um just what their ultimately their future is because you know in shanon’s case he’s possibly this summer but more likely a year from now is looking at a big payday um and then you know you’ve got the clinging things so that is something to keep an eye on as well you know the Rockets say it does not play a role I mean there is no doubt that’s uh something that they’d have to discuss um at a minimum if they did actually pull the trigger and draft down and cling in but um the overall point though is it’s gonna be tough like as you mentioned for any player they get to crack this rotation um and I’m not expecting the 44th pick of the draft to crack the Rockets rotation I should be more clear but I mean just being up with the big team and you know getting those kind of minutes like you said a two-way contract is probably going to be more attractive to them yep no exactly I mean trust me I have probably two dozen guys I’d be interested in at 44 but you know there’s a a decent chance that that at least half of those guys are not going to want to sign two-way contracts so you know I don’t know if that pushes them off the board you know they’re I I saw the Rockets have worked out a whole bunch of guys but uh you know that are probably going to either be candidates at 44 or undrafted free agents guys are going to look to sign to two-way contract um or exhibit 10 deals but uh you know maybe there’s someone that have a first round grade on that falls all the way to 44 and they just suck it up and say you know we’re gonna here’s the 15th roster spot we’re going to give that to this guy okay so bronny James that’s ultimately what you’re saying at 44 yeah no by I’m not as down on bronny James as most people I think we got to take his season with a huge grain of salt given the heart the cardiac arrest for for sure if if if he if that had not happened I am guessing he would have had a much much much more productive year in college and I I I don’t see him becoming a star or anything like that but you know I wouldn’t write him off as as as completely Unworthy of being in the NBA oh AB I’m with you absolutely um free agency uh this is to me kind of a question mark we’ve heard names Malik Beasley Gary Harris uh you know that kind of thing maybe some shooters that are brought in take me through this real quickly because Rockets do have on the horizon the 25 cap space which you know if they don’t pick up the option for Fred vanit and um you know they don’t extend shenon until next summer and you know who knows what can end up actually happening with Jen’s extension it’s a little bit more tricky for for him because his cap uh cap hold is so large but the whole point is on the horizon you got this cap space thing so if the Rockets are going to dip into the mle this summer take me through how that works so I’m guessing if you’re the Rockets front office you’re probably looking if your goal is get the best player you can with the mid-level exception the non- taxpayer mid-level exception which is going to be just a little bit shy 13 million next year um I am guessing they will offer most or all of it uh to a good free agent probably a veteran shooter but they’ll probably want to structure it okay you get the full midlevel in year one and the second year is a team option or non-g guaranteed something similar to what they did with Jeff Green uh this past year where he signed a he got clearly overpaid on purpose using the Rockets cap room and they gave him a interestingly a team option that is also non- guaranteed for two weeks um I think they’d look to do something similar with a guy like a Gary Harris or a Malik Beasley or someone like that that you mentioned um if someone surprisingly that maybe is another tier up from that uh is willing to sign for the midlevel and it’s a caliber of player that the on the not going to take a oneye deal yeah right a caliber player that won’t take a one year yeah it won’t take onee deal and is viewed around the league as more valuable than the non-t taxpayer mid-level amount I could see the Rockets giving three or even four years to that guy as long as you knew oh this was a movable contract so I see okay so words like I know Malik monk just resigned with with Sacramento but hypothetically speaking a Malik monk caliber player said I’ll come to the rockets for the mle I think they would still jump at that and knowing that look if we had to create cap room we could move this guy yeah into somebody else’s cap space into someone El Cap room or for trade exception or something like that okay another thing to remember is starting this offseason for the first time ever you can use the mid-level exception as a trade exception so even if you use the full mid-level on a guy and it doesn’t work out you can trade him to another team that didn’t use their non- taxpayer mid level except into the other teamsite so that that basically means just about every most teams I should say will have that kind of exception available to okay that makes it uh that makes it interesting that that kind of is I was I was giving you the uh softball pitch to say yeah if they give a three-year deal to somebody then yeah now they can extend shenon and jayen uh and cap space dream is dead and well I I will say this that optionality the Rockets always want optionality and right now they have tremendous optionality especially given that van vet’s third year is a team option that was key but at the end of the day this is all gonna hinge on Jaylen if if they resign Jaylen green kiss capro goodbye because um it’s it’s I mean maybe they could have enough to sign like a a really like a Malik monk type of player uh in 2025 but um I I would probably see them more likely to bring back van vet for uh more years at a lower annual salary and then use the non tax PID level and and then keep Jaylen and keep shenon but again like you said you know Jaylen the again this is not hate on shenon it is literally because shanon’s contract is structured because he was the 16th pick and not the second pick he gives the Rockets more optionality because he will have a lower cap hold uh just like Ty Maxi with Philadelphia this past season he did not sign an extension on purpose so that they Philly would have all his cap room this summer before they resigned him not as great as as Maxi because he was the 21st pick but shenon is a 16th pick it’s a similar thing they can wait he’s only got like a $16 million cap hold unfortunately jaylen’s cap hold is over $30 million because he was the second pick so whatever they do with Jaylen is most likely going to determine whether we have any any chance at C interesting yeah so I as far as the free agency I don’t expect them to be big players I do expect I mean like you said they could go for some somebody who could help uh a smaller player but I do think trade-wise we’re getting to that point where the consolidation trade has to happen um at least I I would think over the next year it has to occur um I wouldn’t be surprised if it something in some form or fashion happens this summer um but that is contingent upon who becomes available Donovan Mitchell they’ve had interest in Zion Williamson for a long time but it does not look like he’s he’s going on the Block um Paul George Kevin Durant believe it or not if he gets um you know if he becomes available something happens shakes loose with Phoenix the Rockets will be interested um and that’s just something I would keep in mind regardless and you know I don’t say this to disrespect any of the core six guys they’re high on all six of them but any of could be moved that’s just the reality of the situation um if the right star becomes available so but we’re here this team is going to get really expensive real quick if they give you know Max or near Max contracts to Jaylen and shenon and that that’s what those two players are going to ask for um if you have those guys on Max or near Max contracts with Jabari and tari coming up the next year and a Manning cam coming up the year after that and the third pick coming up the year after that you can’t this team is GNA get too expensive too quick forget about trading for a star because you’re not gonna be able to afford to have all those players um you’re you’re talking second apron level pretty pretty quick once you start handing out three max contracts yeah and you know shout out to the the Rockets front office I think they’ve done overall a good job with the draft they’ve drafted a lot of good guys but this is where it’s going to get tough they did a great job getting this team from 22 wins to 41 with the Oka higher and you know the free the the excuse me the veteran additions they made in the offseason all kudos to them but this is going to be the difficult part where somebody that is beloved in the fan base and all six of these guys probably are um might have to be dealt uh for the betterment of the team long term but we we’ll see how that happen you know what happens there um but I would be shocked if you do not hear the Rockets involved in trade rumors when some big names come come up summer I’m talking about this summer so for sure um yeah but yeah David anything you want to say before we wrap up no I’m sure you and I will be back uh you know after doing two of these things in a year I’m sure we’ll be back uh after the after the draft to recap and and uh and and and maybe go go deeper dive into free agency this is sh this is shocking this is like twice in maybe a month span I I don’t know what it’s been but I’m already sick of you exactly so thank you dve appreciate you coming on and thank everybody for listening uh please subscribe to the podcast wherever you’re listening from and have a great one

Houston Rockets Fan Information Source

It’s officially NBA Draft Week! Dave Hardisty and David Weiner discuss the options before the Houston Rockets as they approach the June 26th NBA Draft, holding the #3 pick and the #44 pick. Is it really down to Donovan Clingan and Reed Sheppard as options? The pair also discuss trade-down options and whether Devin Carter could be intriguing to Ime Udoka. And are the Rockets a darkhorse for a Paul George trade?

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