While the primary focus for the Houston Rockets is on their upcoming run in the 2025 NBA playoffs and learning their potential opponent, they also have a lottery pick headed their way from the Phoenix Suns in the NBA's 2025 first round.
On that front, Sunday was a positive day. Phoenix finished at 36-46 after losing its final game at Sacramento, while Portland defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to also finish at 36-46. That moves the Trail Blazers and Suns into a tie for the No. 9 and No. 10 lottery odds slots.
That tie will be broken by a coin flip in the coming days.
Because of a trade with the Nets last offseason, the Rockets (52-30) have the right to swap first-round picks with Phoenix in the 2025 first round. Brooklyn had previously owned that swap right based on a trade sending Kevin Durant to the Suns in early 2023. That swap right is proving to be quite lucrative to Houston, which would otherwise own the No. 27 selection based on its own results.
We have 4 sets of ties that need to be broken:
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 13, 2025
9/10
Portland/Houston (via PHX)
12/13
Dallas/Chicago
* Dependent on the play-in
18/19/20
Miami (via GSW), Washington (via MEM), Brooklyn (via MIL)
* Dependent on the play-in
22/23/24/25
Atlanta (via LAL), Indiana, Orlando…
Yet, thanks to the NBA's recently revised odds structure as part of an attempt to discourage teams from intentionally losing games for draft positioning, it's plausible that the Rockets could climb even higher in the first-round order.
For example, after the 2023-24 season one year ago, the Atlanta Hawks had the No. 10 odds slot before landing the No. 1 pick in the 2024 lottery and ultimately using it to select Zaccharie Risacher. Similarly, the Rockets (via Brooklyn) had the No. 9 odds slot in 2024 and secured one of the four lottery drawn selections, finishing at No. 3 and using it for Reed Sheppard.
Rockets got some great fortune today when the Blazers beat the Lakers and the Suns lost to the Kings. Phoenix, Portland both finish 36-46, tied for 9th-worst team in the league.
The Houston Rockets, owners of Phoenix's unprotected ...
