The Houston Rockets are well-positioned to pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, and are projected to pick within the top 10. With that in mind, this class should be an opportunity to acquire an underrated player in the second round. Given the depth of the draft and the uncertainty players could fall.
The NBA recently resolved a series of ties across the league, which not only sealed several first-round spots in the draft position, but also helped further solidify the second-round position.
The reason these tiebreakers affected Houston is because the Rockets own the Golden State Warriors' second-round pick in the June event.
The season ended in a three-way tie between the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Sacramento Kings with a record of 46 wins and 36 losses. In other words, they will pick in some order between 13th and 15th in the first round and between 43rd and 45th in the second round. Since the Heat entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, we will be assigned the last spot of three seeds by default. From there, the Kings won a tie with the Warriors, leaving Sacramento in first place and Golden State (14th and 44th) in second place in this three-team group.
The Rockets own the rights to the Warriors' second-round pick, so it's very likely Houston will take the 44th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The only way the pick order can change is if the Warriors have some great lottery luck and finish in the top four in next month's NBA Draft lottery. That would affect the second round standings between these three teams.
Either way, the Rockets will get a pick in the middle of the second round, likely 44th overall.
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