As the 2012 NBA Draft nears on Thursday evening, talk league-wide has centered on the Houston Rockets, who are heavily rumored to be shopping for a top pick in Thursday night's first round, most likely with the Sacramento Kings, who are sitting at No. 5 overall.
ESPN's Marc Stein and Chad Ford are reporting that a deal has been "heavily discussed," and could be in the works to allow Houston to take UConn big man Andre Drummond - but maybe not to play for the Rockets. Speculation is rampant that Drummond would become part of a package to get Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard to Houston:
Houston has been trying for weeks to acquire multiple top-10 picks to throw at new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, believing that Hennigan -- after working alongside Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti for years -- would consider trading Howard if he could get two top lottery picks to start rebuilding his new team through the draft.
The Rockets' willingness to trade for Howard -- even without the All-Star center's signature on a contract extension -- is an open secret around the league.
There's plenty of reasons this deal won't happen - namely, if Kansas forward Thomas Robinson were to fall to the Kings at No. 5, according to Ford and Stein, as well as Orlando possibly making a move to keep Howard in the fold.
One thing's certain - if Sacramento agrees, it won't be until the last minute, and even then, there's no guarantee the Rockets will get Howard.
For more on the 2012 NBA Draft and the Houston Rockets, check out The Dream Shake and SB Nation's NBA page.
