Rockets Among NBA Draft Lottery Losers

The Houston Rockets failed to move up in the draft lottery this year and walked away with the worst pick possible: No. 10 overall.

The team was slated to pick No. 9, but after the Dallas Mavericks moved into the top four, the Rockets slid down one spot to No. 10.

The Mavericks moving up, along with the San Antonio Spurs, make the Rockets one of the big losers of the NBA Draft Lottery.

Sure, they aren't the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz or Charlotte Hornets, the four worst teams in the league that failed to even get into the top three, but the Rockets now have to face the reality of their two big in-state rivals getting better.

The Mavs, just over three months after trading Luka Doncic, now have an easy succession plan in place with Cooper Flagg as the projected No. 1 overall pick. Flagg will now team up with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving to try and get Dallas back into the playoff picture next season, making Houston's job a little harder.

Things are a little more skeptical for the Spurs, who hold the No. 2 overall pick. While Rutgers guard Dylan Harper would be a great pick, the Spurs just traded for De'Aaron Fox to be the team's point guard for the future. No matter how they use the No. 2 pick, the Spurs' assets will get better, making things tougher for the Rockets, especially if former No. 1 selection Victor Wembanyama gets healthy.