Reports and rumors are indicating that talks between the Rockets and Kings have intensified. With less than 2 hours left until the NBA draft, it appears that if the Rockets do move up into the top 10, it'll be at the 5th spot currently held by Sacramento. Those same reports also claim that the Kings won't pull the trigger on the trade right now and want to see how the picks in front of them shake out. Chad Ford and Marc Stein from ESPN report:
It's believed that Sacramento will walk away from the trade if Kansas' Thomas Robinson is still available. Yet sources say the Kings, in that scenario, would be walking away from "a lot," suggesting the Rockets have offered even more than the widely reported package of versatile but disgruntled guard Kyle Lowry and multiple picks later in Thursday's first round.
I don't think Robinson will be available for the Kings with the 5th pick. I've heard that the Bobcats are in love with him and I have him going 2nd to them in my mock draft. That being said, Charlotte has apparently been offered 5 different trades for the 2nd pick, so if they get blown away by one and move back; then things change. If the Rockets do pull off this deal, most insiders believe it's to take UCONN center Andre Drummond. The question then becomes, is that pick for the Rockets, or the Magic? It couldn't hurt to take a young, athletic center who is the consensus number 2 player at his position to sweeten the pot for a team giving up a young, athletic center. I'm not sure what the Magic think about Drummond, but I personally think he's overrated so I hope that if he's the pick; his future is in Orlando.
If talks fall through with Sacramento, I expect the Rockets to go after the Warriors and Raptors picks at 7th and 8th next.
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