Long before the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets had already been rumored about trading their No. 3 pick. Not a few teams were mentioned as a possible trade partner of Houston involving that pick.
The Houston Rockets nearly traded the No. 3 pick
As it turned out, the Rockets ultimately decided to keep the pick and use it to take Kentucky Wildcats sharpshooter Reed Sheppard, who was also the first NCAA player to be selected in the draft, with French youngsters Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr going No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
That being said, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said on Wednesday that a trade would have happened with the No. 3 pick going somewhere else had another team beaten the Rockets to Sheppard.
Via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
Rafael Stone said the Rockets considered Reed Sheppard to be the best prospect in the draft. If he was unavailable, Stone said, the Rockets would have likely tried to trade the third pick.
Well, the Rockets now have their target and must be rightfully excited about the team’s potential with Sheppard in the fold. Sheppard played in only a season with the Wildcats, but it was clear during his time in Lexington that he had what it takes to at least be a high pick at the 2024 NBA Draft.
Sheppard is a lights-out shooter with great hands on defense. He put up 12.5 points and made 53.6 percent of his attempts from the field and 52.1 percent of his takes from deep. Sheppard also made noises on the other side of the court, as evidenced by his 2.5 steals per contest average for the Wildcats.
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