The Houston Rockets were the biggest beneficiaries of the nosedive the Phoenix Suns took during the second half of the 2024-25 regular season, as Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and company missing the playoffs meant their first-round pick went to Houston.
Now, the Rockets are coming off a season where they locked up the No. 2 seed in the West with a roster full of young talent, and they have a lottery pick to add to their warchest of assets, if they choose to do so.
Whether or not the Rockets make this pick is still in question. There are plenty of reasons why Rafael Stone and the front office could look to include it in a trade for a veteran. If they do stick with the No. 10 pick and select a prospect, though, one veteran could be impacted more directly than the rest.
Rockets Forward Tari Eason Must Look Over His Shoulder at NBA Draft
While mock drafts are never a sure indicator of where a prospect will be selected, just ask Shedeur Sanders, they do offer insight into what may be motivating franchises to pursue certain players. With the draft just days away, both ESPN and CBS Sports have Houston selecting former Arizona Wildcats standout forward Carter Bryant with the No. 10 overall pick.
Much like current Rockets forward Tari Eason, Bryant is a smaller forward, standing at 6-7, but he has a wingspan of just over 6-11, making him a potential menace on the defensive end. This would be an upside play for Houston, as Bryant was not asked to shoulder much of the scoring load for Arizona this past season. Despite that, he showed the skills you would want in a player with his size and length as he connected on 46% of his attempts from the field and just over 37% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
If Houston is motivated to make a trade involving Eason this summer, Bryant would be a natural fit as a replacement. He would also come at a much friendlier cost for the franchise, as Eason is set to hit restricted free agency come the summer of 2026.
Nothing is set in stone at this time, but the more you see Bryant's name associated with the Rockets, the harder it is not to think he would be viewed as a cost-effective replacement for Eason.