Rockets Have Tough Decisions to Make on Young Players

The Houston Rockets' offseason will be filled with many decisions, some of them tougher than others.

Whether or not the Rockets decide to keep second-year pro Cam Whitmore and rookie Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, will be difficult.

Whitmore and Sheppard could be included in the team's plans for the long haul, but they could also be dealt in a trade for a win-now superstar.

"Houston has so many high draft picks and coveted young players on its roster that the decisions on whom to pay and how much over the next three years are likely to be crucial. At some point, the Rockets seem almost certain to blast through the tax aprons, but they’ve worked to push back that moment," The Athletic insider John Hollinger wrote.

"Those decisions start with the guys who aren’t even getting in the rotation right now. Reed Sheppard was the third pick in the 2024 draft but hardly played this season. Cam Whitmore has killed it in the last two summer leagues before retreating to the end of the Houston bench for the winter. And did I mention the Rockets could win the draft lottery this year? (They have a pick swap with Phoenix, which has a 3.8 percent chance of landing No. 1 and a 17.8 percent chance of hitting the top four, although it is more likely to end up as the ninth pick.)"

This is a good problem for the Rockets to have. Either they keep their top prospects and continue developing them or they cash in for a star while giving these young players a chance to flourish elsewhere.