The Houston Rockets stood pat and used their No. 3 pick to get Reed Sheppard in the 2024 NBA Draft, but that doesn’t mean they’re not stopping in their hunt for a bona fide star.
According to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Houston Rockets are interested in franchise-caliber players Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, and Zion Williamson, as opposed to Kevin Durant, who was linked with them earlier this week.
“Yet for all the recent focus on 35-year-old Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, league sources say the Rockets are only interested in star players whose timelines fit better with their young core.
“So, who are the Rockets interested in as franchise centerpiece material? League sources say that Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (who is 27 and widely expected to sign an extension with the Cavs soon), the Suns’ Devin Booker (also 27), and New Orleans’ Zion Williamson (23) would all fit the bill. The only problem, of course, is that none of them are expected to be available anytime soon.” Amick and Slater wrote.
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Before this came out, the Houston Rockets were once linked with Jimmy Butler and Mikal Bridges, who was recently traded to the New York Knicks.
Houston Rockets are set up for the future
Even if they don’t get their franchise star, the Houston Rockets are a team on the rise, which was evident during their late push to the play-in tournament last season. From March 2 to March 29, they won 13 of 14 games.
Unfortunately for the Houston Rockets, they didn’t make it, as they finished as the 11th seed in the Western Conference with a 41-41 record.
With Reed Sheppard in tow, Houston has added to their young core that already has Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, and Alperen Sengun.
