Mock Trade: Rockets Move into NBA Draft’s First Round

The 2026 NBA Draft is coming up, though the Rockets don’t have a first-round pick.

Despite that, they need to plug a few holes on the roster, and the guard-laden 2026 class could be a great way to add depth.

Reed Sheppard took strides in Year 2, and the team is set to return veteran handler Fred VanVleet alongside Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. Though the team still struggled with half-court offense last season, and could still stand to bolster the reserves further, especially for the future.

There’s a handful of blue-chip options in Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings and Brayden Burries, as well as nice mid-first options in Labaron Philon, Ebuka Okorie, Bennett Stirtz, Christian Anderson and more.

While point guards aren’t a commodity, there’s only so many teams with minutes to offer ball-handlers. And that could make Houston one to watch in terms of a trade-in.

Below we’ll evaluate what it could take for the Rockets to move into the first round:

Houston Rockets get: Pick No. 17 

Oklahoma City Thunder get: 2028 First-Round Pick

There’s a handful of teams in the 2026 NBA Draft who have multiple first-round picks, including the recently-eliminated Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are in a unique position, having a full roster and needing to cut players if they want to draft. They're likely to take a player at No. 12, putting the seventeenth pick in play.

Given that, they could be looking to kick their picks down the road, which they do in this mock trade by picking up the Rockets’ 2028 first. In theory, Houston will look to be contending a few years from now, meaning they should get better value on this pick than they will down the line.

The depth of the '26 class also puts the Rockets in favorable position, potentially able to draft any of Okorie, Stirtz or Anderson, who all offer different options.

Okorie is a driving-machine with nice athletic tools who should be able to touch the paint whenever he wants. Anderson is a white-hot 3-point shooter and keen facilitator, and Stirtz offers a little bit of both driving and shooting with a veteran career.

The Rockets do own second-round picks, but there's no guarantee they'll be able to grab a contributor. Should the Houston want to lean into youth and grab one more handler bet, the above trade or some similar could make sense.