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Lift-off is near for the Houston Rockets after spending three years in the basement of the NBA. The 2023-24 campaign can be classified as a successful one for the Rockets even though they failed to qualify for the playoffs, as they improved their win total by 19 games while overseeing the rapid development of youngsters Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green as well as Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr.
To make matters even better for the Rockets, they are as well-positioned as any team to add more talent in preparation for a playoff push in 2025. They won the third overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft thanks to the James Harden trade of 2021, and now, they could either use it to draft another blue-chip prospect or dangle it as part of a consolidation trade to nab a star-level player.
While the most likely route for the Rockets to take is to trade the selection away, projected top-10 pick Donovan Clingan, who won two national championships with the UConn Huskies, sees himself as a potentially good fit on the Rockets even though they already have an established cornerstone at the position in Alperen Sengun.
“I feel like I can be able to step out behind the three-point line and knock down threes to be able to go out there and pair up with another big at the same time. If it’s inside and out, I can play in the post. I can pass on the three-point line, I can pass all over, find open guys, and be able to knock down three-pointers,” Clingan told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype when asked if he could form an effective duo with Sengun.
As the Minnesota Timberwolves have shown, having two big men in the starting lineup can work; the Rockets also have hard-nosed, athletic defenders across every position, so in the event that Houston pairs Alperen Sengun up with Donovan Clingan, they will have the personnel to make the pieces fit together. Alas, the Rockets already have a stockpile of talent, and the smart money is on them figuring out a way to combine those assets to add a player that could help elevate them into a playoff team in the loaded Western Conference.
Rockets, to shoot for the stars?
The Rockets have not been shy to make their interest in adding an All-Star or a fringe All-Star talent to their roster known. Prior to the February 2024 trade deadline, the Rockets reportedly prepared a godfather package to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges; however, as enticing as their offer was, the Nets rebuffed their overtures.
In the offseason, however, the Rockets will have a few more trade targets to choose from to add to their burgeoning young core. In addition to a potential revisiting of trade talks for Bridges, the Rockets could also look towards adding Brandon Ingram, someone who appears to be on the outs in New Orleans.
Nonetheless, even if the Rockets stand pat, it's not like that would be the end of the world for them. If they fail to make any major moves, they'll be starting Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun — a team that could be solid enough to make the playoffs with expected improvements to come from the four youngsters the team has that are yet to enter their primes. Off the bench, the Rockets will still have Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, and Steven Adams — a solid crew of defenders and rebounders.
Top of the 2024 NBA Draft remains riddled with uncertainty
The 2024 NBA Draft class has been panned as one of the worst in recent memory, especially when compared to 2023 which had generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. The gap in talent between the top five and the rest of the lottery appears to be non-existent, which is why the Rockets reportedly prefer to trade the third pick for a more established player.
As for Donovan Clingan, his stock has been on the rise throughout the draft process. In addition to being a 7'2 big man who has a ton of potential to become one of the most feared rim protectors in the association, Clingan has been flashing a workable jumpshot that would make him one of the more versatile two-way big men in the NBA.
The latest mock draft by ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel has Clingan going sixth to the Charlotte Hornets. But Siegel mentioned that a team targeting the third overall pick from the Rockets in a trade “would likely move up with the mindset of grabbing” Clingan.
