With the sixth overall pick in the draft, Charlotte is set to make a selection. They control the pick.
Hornets Interested in Making Big Draft Night Trade
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Hornets Interested in Trading Up for the Third Pick From the Rockets
The Houston Rockets have received great trade interest for the No. 3 NBA Draft pick.
The Charlotte Hornets are highly interested in acquiring the No. 3 pick, and the Rockets have shown interest in Hornets’ Mark Williams.
Houston is looking to make a big splash with a potential trade for a superstar such as Kevin Durant.
With the 2024 NBA Draft just a few hours away, the trade rumors have already begun, as the Houston Rockets have reportedly received great trade interest for the No. 3 pick in the draft.
The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported that the Charlotte Hornets are very interested in trading for the No. 3 pick, while the Rockets have interest in a young player on Charlotte’s roster.
“The Charlotte Hornets continue to express interest in acquiring the No. 3 pick, and one Western Conference executive identified center Mark Williams as someone Houston could have an interest in.”
Hornets center Mark Williams had a great start to his sophomore season, before suffering a back injury that sidelined him for the rest of the 2023-24 NBA season. He only played 19 games but was a double-double machine for the Hornets on a nightly basis. There have been rumblings that the Rockets could look to use Alperen Sengun as a trade piece for a superstar, and the acquisition of Williams could further accelerate that process.
Charlotte owns their pick in the draft and is slotted to make a selection with the sixth overall pick. The Hornets suffered ongoing injuries to franchise star, LaMelo Ball, which derailed the progress of the team, but the rise of Brandon Miller in his rookie season instilled the team with hope of a dynamic pairing of the two prospects. The third pick could potentially provide Charlotte with the perfect complimentary piece for their young core.
However, the Rockets are the team that has all the leverage and will use it to get the ideal trade package if they decide to make one. From the transactions the franchise made the day before leading to the draft, it’s to be expected that the trend of trades will continue.
Houston Has Been Active on the Trade Block
Rockets are looking to make a big splash
Alperen Sengun Houston Rockets
The Rockets got themselves involved in the middle of a blockbuster trade on Tuesday evening. Although they weren’t an official party in the Brooklyn Nets sending Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks , they played a big part in it. The Nets came to terms on a deal with the Rockets to acquire their 2025 first-round pick back, which was originally sent in the James Harden trade in 2021.
In exchange for the other picks, the main pick that the Rockets acquired was the Phoenix Suns ‘ 2027 unprotected first-round pick. The reason this is a big addition is due to the Rockets reportedly wanting to acquire Kevin Durant from the Suns, and are attempting to entice Phoenix by giving them their pick back.
In the case that this deal was to take place, it would give the Suns their assets back and provide more safety and confidence to head into a rebuild since they have full ownership of their draft capital. The Rockets already have a plethora of young talent and not enough rotation spots to play all of them. A deal for a superstar the calibre of Durant makes sense if the Rockets are ready to elevate into contention now, which they have made known.
