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The 2024 NBA Draft is bound to feature movement amongst teams to various different picks. Teams are always looking into trading up or down but this year, it's tougher to tell who would be interested in doing so. With a draft class that’s more even than in years past and doesn’t have any elite prospects, most teams could just stay where they are and draft whoever falls to them. But some teams still want to be aggressive and get their preferred target.
The third overall pick seems to be gaining traction as a pick that could be traded. It belongs to the Houston Rockets by way of the Brooklyn Nets. Houston already has a lot of good, young players but could add to the young core by selecting whoever the Atlanta Hawks or Washington Wizards don’t.
The Rockets' pick is garnering “increasing leaguewide interest,” according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. There are three teams in particular who are the most interested in trading up.
Iko writes the following: “Rapidly growing interest in Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and the desire of rival teams to jump ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who hold the No. 4 and No. 8 picks. There have been several teams that have expressed a desire to move to No. 3 but there are three teams, according to team and league sources that have been most vocal: Charlotte, Memphis and Portland. The Grizzlies and Hornets, in particular, have been rather aggressive in their hopes of acquiring the No. 3 pick, sources said.”
Rockets receiving interest for No. 3 pick in 2024 NBA Draft
The Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies — owners of the sixth, seventh and ninth overall picks respectively — all have extra picks in this draft that could help facilitate a trade. Charlotte owns Houston's second-rounder at No. 42 overall, the Blazers have an additional first-rounder (No. 14 overall) and some decent second-round picks and Memphis has two second-rounders, too.
Clingan is receiving more buzz to be a top-three pick in the pre-draft process. The back-to-back national champion is a stellar defender and rebounder with the smarts to be a decent passer at the NBA level. Although his upside seems pretty limited because of his lack of shooting and one-on-one scoring, he's a very safe bet to be a starter-level player and a good interior defender.
Sheppard is a bit undersized for a wing but he has a lot of high-level skills that should make him a starting-caliber player in the NBA, too. His abilities to shoot, pass and make plays on defense make him an intriguing fit on just about any team.
The Spurs should still have the chance to draft a promising player but they might also want to keep in mind the possibility of trading up a spot to make sure they get a talent like Sheppard or Clingan (should they prefer to build around two big men). The Rockets, having seemingly the best pick available for trade, are in a good spot come next week.
