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The Toronto Raptors have interest in trading for the Houston Rockets‘ No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft, according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko.
This may indicate a rebuild for Toronto, which finished at .500 this season (41-41). The Raptors fired coach Nick Nurse in the offseason.
The potential move could also mean a team-up with James Harden and Pascal Siakam.
Harden is rumored to be interested in a return to the Rockets. He has a $35,640,000 player option he intends to decline to pursue a longer deal as an unrestricted free agent.
If the Raptors are after the Rockets' No. 4 pick, they would have to give up assets the Rockets can use to either build their team in the short- or long-term. Siakam is 29 years old and had arguably his best season in 2022-23, averaging a career-best 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists, which was also a career-high.
This would move Houston toward a playoff contender. It hired former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who led the team to the 2022 NBA Finals, this offseason.
The Rockets also have rising young players Jalen Green, who averaged 22.1 points per game last season, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.
They could keep some of those assets or move them in a deal for a competitive roster, assuming they sign Harden and potentially trade for Siakam.
Harden was named the MVP with the Rockets in 2018. Siakam is an NBA champion (he won with the Raptors in 2019) and is playing at his peak, which is something that would benefit a future pairing.
