Houston Rockets: the secret winner of the Kevin Durant trade to Suns / News - Basketnews.com

Houston Rockets have the next five Nets' first-round picks. The team will have three first-rounders in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

Kevin Durant was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster move this morning that reshaped the NBA landscape. Amidst all the chaos, an unrelated team might end up winning the two-team trade.

Free throws this season

79%16,7Points made:16,7Accuracy:79,2%Place in standings:28Record max:30Record min:5Most made FTs:Kevin DurantTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

In under a week, the Nets traded away their two biggest superstars in Durant and Kyrie Irving. With Ben Simmons left to hold the fort in Brooklyn, the Nets are most likely going to be under .500 throughout the rest of the season and for several years to come as the organization braces for the future without either Irving, Durant, or James Harden.

In this landscape, the Houston Rockets are the secret winner of the latest trade bombshell.

The Rockets own the next five Nets' first-round picks either via swap or trade following the James Harden trade to Brooklyn back in January 2021.

The Nets sent three first-round draft picks (2022, 2024, and 2026) and four first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027) as compensation for getting Harden two years ago.

Besides their own pick and the one they received from the Nets, the Rockets will have three first-round picks in this year's draft in total, with the additional one coming from the PJ Tucker trade via Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 as well.

The Rockets currently have the worst record in the entire NBA with 13 wins and 42 losses, and would have the best odds of getting the no. 1 pick if the draft lottery was held today.

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