Rafael Stone Drafting Multiple Players on the Team Will Play a Part in any Trade

As the NBA Finals reach their conclusion, the Houston Rockets continue to prepare for the 2025 draft, which will be held on June 25. The Rockets currently hold the 10th-overall pick, and it is still unclear whether they will keep the pick, as they have drafted in the lottery in the past four drafts.

Another reason the Rockets may not keep the No. 10 pick is that it could be part of a trade this offseason. The Rockets have several players under 23 years of age who played a big part in the team's 52-win season in 2024-25 and currently are in possession of the Phoenix Suns next three draft picks, including this year's No. 10 pick.

The Rockets have been in the middle of most trade rumors this offseason with most being centered around a possible Kevin Durant trade to the Rockets. As mentioned earlier, the Rockets are in control of three of the Suns' draft picks over the next four years.

There have been a few names mentioned on the Rockets' side as possible trade candidates in a Durant deal. The names mentioned have mostly been the younger players on the Rockets like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and even Tari Eason. The Rockets have drafted several players in the lottery since 2021.

All the players drafted since 2021 have been drafted by the same general manager, Rafael Stone. Stone took over for longtime Rockets general manager Darryl Morey after Morey left the Rockets to at first spend time with family but eventually returned to take over the same position for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Stone wasn't new to the Rockets as he had already been part of the Rockets front office for over a decade. Stone's first draft saw him take Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun in 2021. Stone has made several picks since then, which means that the majority of the players on the team were players he drafted.

That doesn't necessarily mean a general manager can't trade players they draft, but it can play a part in the decision-making. The reason for that is, as a general manager, when it comes to drafting a player, it is a lot more than just making the call on draft night.

You have researched that player for possibly years and have put in a lot of hours traveling to see your potential draft pick play, as well as bringing him in for workouts. That type of commitment is hard to overlook as trading away players you drafted, in some sense, says you may have made a mistake drafting that player.

Again, that doesn't mean Stone won't do what's necessary to retain players he drafted, but any general manager wants to see the players they picked reach their full potential. The Rockets have significant decisions to make this offseason, and they may have to move on from some of their homegrown talent.