Report: Rockets Open To Trading 3rd Pick In 2024 Draft To Nets For Mikal Bridges

According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Houston Rockets are open to trading the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. 

The Rockets have been trying to acquire Bridges for the past year. 

The Rockets would be open to trading the No. 3 overall pick for Mikal Bridges, per @DraftExpress (https://t.co/vzwjmW0xmT).

Houston owns the Nets’ future draft picks through 2027 because of the James Harden trade.

Houston chased Bridges at the trade deadline, but Brooklyn… pic.twitter.com/UKWfT2k2ep

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 1, 2024

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Nets had zero interest in trading Bridges to the Rockets for a package headlined by Jalen Green at this year’s trade deadline.

The Rockets made several aggressive offers to the Nets for Bridges, but Brooklyn would not trade the forward. 

Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Nets this season while shooting 43.6% from the field, 37.2% from beyond the arc and 81.4% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $23.3 million next season. 

Bridges has career averages of 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists with the Phoenix Suns and Nets. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Nets and Rockets missed the playoffs this year. 

In May, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Rockets and Nets:

The trade: The Houston Rockets trade Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, the No. 1 pick and two future firsts for Mikal Bridges

The Rockets don’t have the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they could offer Brooks, Whitmore, the third pick and two future firsts to the Nets for Bridges. 

“While the Rockets fell short of the Play-In Tournament, phase 2 of their rebuild was nevertheless successful,” Buckley wrote. “Their win total jumped by 19 (from 22 to 41), the defense went from atrocious (29th in 2022-23) to above-average (10th), and they saw substantial progress made by building-block prospects Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green.

“Is that convincing enough for the front office to feel it’s time to start phase 3? Well, Houston already attempted to acquire Bridges, so clearly there is interest in expanding the talent base. And while those initial efforts proved futile, maybe the addition of the No. 1 pick to its offer could change that.”