What to do with this third choice? This is the question that the Rockets since they got this gift, during the “lottery”. Because the Texan franchise has reached a milestone this season, even without playoffs, with experienced players and it wants to drive the point home.
A player drafted, even more so in this Draft which promises to be homogeneous but not necessarily capable of shaking up the league on paper, might not be enough to progress significantly. This is why the leaders still have Mikal Bridges in the back of their minds.
The Rockets could thus part with this third choice and, that's good, there would be no shortage of candidates if we follow the information from The Athletic. Our colleagues announce that three franchises want to obtain this 3rd choice to move up in this 2024 Draft: Charlotte (which has the 6th choice), Memphis (9th) and Portland (7 and 14th choices).
The Grizzlies and the Hornets would also be the most aggressive to make the Texans give in. And as GM Rafael Stone and coach Ime Udoka reportedly have a weakness for Marcus Smart (who was managed by Ime Udoka in Boston…), perhaps Memphis will have to let go of the 2022 defender of the year to reach a deal with Houston.
In any case, if this 3rd choice is so coveted, it is because many teams think that Donovan Clingan (Connecticut) and Reed Sheppard (Kentucky) will not be available afterwards.
