The Houston Rockets are in a great spot as a franchise and have a major opportunity to add a superstar-level player to their roster this offseason.
How the front office elects to go about doing that is anyone's guess at this time. In addition to young, talented players who could be dangled on the trade market, the Rockets own the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. This is likely their greatest asset and, honestly, the franchise would be set back by holding onto this pick and making a selection.
This draft is considered to be stronger than last year's. However, the likelihood that a true difference maker for a team that is already a playoff contender, like the Rockets, falls to the No. 10 pick seems slim to none. The Ringer's latest mock draft backs up this idea. They have Houston taking a player most Rockets supporters have never heard of, unless they are die-hard Arizona Wildcats fans.
Houston Rockets: Carter Bryant, Arizona, Freshman
"Bryant played a limited role on an experienced team this past season at Arizona, where the touches and shots were spoken for more often than not. That locked him into a spacing-and-finishing role, which is likely what he’ll be doing in the near future in the NBA. That role allows him to showcase his greatest skill: defense. Bryant is the kind of bendy, long, and strong athlete who can run the gamut of defensive assignments."
This is no knock on Bryant. Yet, nothing about that description leads fans in Houston to think that this player could be capable of making meaningful contributions to the Rockets during the 2025-26 season, as they look to defend their Southwest Division title.
Houston's best move with its lottery pick would be to package it along with some of the young players on their roster to bring a proven veteran in who would take this promising team to the next level. Who the Rockets could target to fill that role remains to be seen, but there should be plenty of options for Rafael Stone and company to pursue.
Houston has the pieces in place and the right coach at the helm to challenge for a top spot in the Western Conference for years to come if they handle this offseason the right way. We'll have to wait and see what they have up their sleeve, but the hope has to be that it doesn't involve selecting any player with the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft.