Houston Rockets aim to trade No. 3 pick for near All-Star

After narrowly missing the playoffs while finishing with a 41-41 record, the Houston Rockets never expected to go third in the 2024 NBA Draft. Yet when they traded James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, the Rockets acquired the Nets’ 2024 first-round pick, then a bit of lottery luck led to landing a first-round pick, three years later.

The Rockets are now able to draft a player among the first five selections for the fourth consecutive year. But this is a team that has been acquiring young talent for several years, and now is the time to move from contender to contender. Houston may prefer to add more winning talent now rather than continuing to bank on potential via the NBA draft.

The Houston Rockets would love to trade No. 3 for Mikal Bridges

That brings us to the latest Rockets rumor from ESPN’s NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony, who suggests that Houston might prefer to trade the third overall pick for a big name, like Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges, ironically returning them the pick of the Nets.

“Most teams expect the Rockets to actively pursue trade opportunities, either to move down the standings (with teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies or Chicago Bulls) or to exit altogether if a major staple – like Mikal Bridges – becomes available unexpectedly.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on Houston Rockets’ interest in Mikal Bridges

This looks good for Houston. Bridges may not have an All-Star appearance under his belt, but he’s getting close. He does, however, have the recognition of being named to the 2021-22 All-Defensive Team, and that was before we knew what he was capable of as a scorer, where he has since averaged 19.9 points per match. Bridges is one of the best scorers and defenders in the NBA, and he would be a great fit for any team, which is why there has been so much interest.

The only problem is that there’s no indication that Bridges is actually available. Several teams have inquired about trading for the Nets star in past seasons, even offering several first-round picks. Of course, none of those deals ever included a selection as high as No. 3, but this isn’t a particularly strong draft class. While talent can be found, there is no guarantee that the player Brooklyn targets could actually be better than Bridges in the long run.

However, the Nets also aren’t quite ready to take on the Eastern Conference’s Boston Celtics, and having a chance to “reset” by completing a blockbuster trade with Houston could be a way to jump-start their retooling process .

Related: Blazers, Grizzlies, Bulls linked to trade for top NBA draft prospect