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Rockets dangling Eric Gordon in trade with Pistons for No. 1 pick in NBA Draft

By Patrick Schmidt

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Rockets are trying to trade for the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and are dangling Eric Gordon in trade talks with the Detroit Pistons.

The Houston Rockets didn’t win the NBA Draft lottery, but they aren’t giving up in their pursuit of getting the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

With the NBA Draft set for July 29, trade talks are heating up with teams positioning themselves up or down the NBA Draft order to get the prospects they covet.

One of the teams most likely to move in the NBA Draft is the Houston Rockets who own three picks, including the No. 2 pick.

NBA Draft rumors: Rockets want No. 1 pick from Pistons

The Rockets want the No. 1 pick and the right to draft Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, but the Detroit Pistons own that pick and seem content staying in that spot.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Rockets are dangling Eric Gordon in trade talks to move up one spot to get the top pick and the right to take the 6-foot-8 guard.

Gordon, 32, averaged 17.8 points per game in 27 games last season for the Rockets, so trading him alone wouldn’t be nearly enough for the Pistons to accept such a trade.

What would Rockets need to trade to get right to draft Cade Cunningham?

The Rockets would have to move the No. 2 pick, Gordon and next year’s No. 1 pick, albeit with some potential restrictions, and may have to move the No. 23 and No. 24 picks in this year’s draft. And that’s just to stop the Pistons from immediately hanging up the phone.

Essentially, Gordon has no trade value, especially to a Pistons team that isn’t one piece away from competing for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Rockets don’t have the assets and the Pistons don’t have the motivation to not draft Cunningham, who could be a perennial All-Star.

The likely scenario is the Rockets try to get the No. 1 pick but the Pistons reject all overtures and draft Cunningham. That leaves the Rockets to pick between Evan Mobley, Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs for them at No. 2.

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