NBA Draft rumors: Wenbanyama Summer League, Pistons trade, Harden-Rockets fallout

NBA Draft rumors: James Harden decision could factor into Rockets’ No. 4 pick

The top-3 picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft are all but cemented. Victor Wembanyama will go No. 1, followed by Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller in an undetermined order. The draft really starts with Houston at No. 4, where two prospects have emerged as leading candidates, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are the two names circulating the league as prime candidates for the Rockets at No. 4. There is more at stake for Houston than simply finding the best prospect, however.

“One potential factor in the decision is James Harden’s potential return to the Rockets — a situation that rival teams have come to view as increasingly uncertain in recent weeks,” writes Givony.

Harden is a brilliant playmaker who consistently elevates teammates and brings out the best in others. That said, he’s also historically ball-dominant with very little appetite for off-ball movement. The Rockets already have two high-usage guards on the roster in Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Amen Thompson is another traditionally high-usage playmaker, a player who always had the ball in his hands at Overtime Elite. His poor 3-point shooting makes a potential fit with Harden even worse.

If the Rockets are confident in Harden’s return, that could propel Cam Whitmore into the No. 4 spot. Whitmore is a more proven shooter and he’s a strong, slightly more versatile frontcourt defender (although Thompson is 6-foot-7 with plenty of room to bulk up). Whitmore brings some of the same propensity for rim pressure that Thompson does offensively, but without the genius-level playmaking acumen — a Thompson attribute that would likely be overshadowed in a Harden-centric offense.