One Player to Keep an Eye On if Rockets Don’t Move up in Lottery

When the trade was first announced, there was some pushback from the media and fans. At the time, it was thought that it was a mistake to trade away picks from a Nets team that, more often than not, has been a lottery team for picks from a team in the Suns that had three former All-Star players who were thought at some point would turn their season around.

The gamble paid off for Rafael Stone as the Suns never did turn it around and would go on to miss the playoffs. That means the Suns 2025 first round pick will go to the Rockets. The Rockets know better than any one that a project late round lottery pick could turn into a top five pick after the draft lottery.

The Rockets were in a similar situation in 2024 when they were projected to have the ninth pick as well due to their trade with the Nets in 2021. The Nets pick jumped to No. 3 which then went to the Rockets. It was the Rockets' fourth straight pick inside the top four, and the team selected Reed Sheppard.

The odds are against another jump into the top three, and it's more likely the Rockets will stay at the ninth pick. Right now, the Rockets have a 50.7 percent chance of staying at the number nine pick and only a 4.9 percent chance of moving into the top four. With the Rockets having several young players they have drafted in the last four years, it is likely that they would trade the pick if they stayed at nine.

Players like Cam Whitmore, Reed Sheppard, and even, at times, Jabari Smith, the second overall pick in 2022, had trouble getting on the court. There is one player who would make sense for the Rockets to stay at nine if he is available: Khaman Maluach.

The 7-foot-2 center out of Duke is projected to be available at number nine and could be a player who would benefit from being on a team that has time to be patient with him as he develops. Maluach averaged 8.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg,1.3 bpg, 71.2% FG, 25% 3P in 39 games this season.

Maluach is a mobile big man who is a great rebounder especially on the offensive end and versatile enough to switch onto guards and still recover at the basket. Maluach has great touch around the rim and is a lob threat which is something the Rockets have not had in several seasons.

Maluach still has parts of his game to work on for instance he only shot 25 percent from 3-point range and has to work on his lower body so that he can contend with the bigger front court players he will be facing in the NBA.

The Rockets have not made a decision on a possible new contract with Adams, who goes into the offseason as a free agent. Despite only playing in 40 games this season, Adams became one of the key pieces in the Rockets' rise to the second seed in the Western Conference.

The playoffs showed Adams worth to the Rockets as he was one of the few players the Warriors had no answer for in their seven-game series. Even if Adams is back with the Rockets for another season, drafting Maluach would still make sense as he can learn from one of the best rebounders and screen setters in NBA history in Adams.

The conventional wisdom is that if the Rockets don't land the number one overall pick, they should trade their 2025 lottery pick. Adding another prospect may not make much sense with so many young players who need playing time. However, a player like Maluach feels a pressing need, and if he is available at nine, he might just be what the Rockets need.