11:58 pm: The trade is official, according to announcements from the Rockets and Knicks. In addition to the pieces detailed below, Houston also sent New York the draft rights to former second-round pick Mojave King in the deal.
The Knicks kept the No. 39 pick and used it to select German guard Jack Kayil, but they later sent the No. 53 pick (Ugonna Onyenso) to Detroit, while Houston flipped No. 55 (Nick Martinelli) to the Clippers.
7:05 pm: After trading down three times on the first night of the 2026 NBA draft, the Knicks are opening the second round by doing so again. According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), New York has agreed to a trade that will send the 31st and 55th overall picks to the Rockets in exchange for No. 39, No. 53, and the Kings’ 2029 second-round selection.
New York originally owned the 24th pick in the first round and moved down to the 47th selection, receiving four second-rounders and cash in the process. The 31st pick, which the Knicks were known to be shopping, was originally the Wizards’ selection and was not involved in New York’s first-round transactions.
Owner James Dolan said the Knicks were looking to avoid the second tax apron next season, and players selected No. 31 (the first pick of the second round) typically make more than the rookie minimum. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link) expects the team to only draft players who will sign for the rookie minimum or accept a two-way deal, though he clarifies that’s just looking at the situation and not reporting.
The Rockets targeted Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton with the 31st pick. He was ranked 49th overall on Jeremy Woo’s final big board for ESPN.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), Houston tried to trade into the last few picks of the first round, where a lot of selections changed hands on Tuesday night.
The 6’2″ senior had an excellent 2025/26 season statistically, averaging 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 34 games (36.5 minutes per contest). Thornton, who played all four of his college seasons with the Buckeyes, posted an extremely efficient shooting slash line of .554/.400/.829.
The Rockets have reportedly been trying to improve their bench, with shooting a clear area of need up and down the roster. Thornton is more of a medium-volume three-point shooter than high (4.5 attempts per game over the last two seasons), but he converted 41.2% of those outside looks.
At 215 pounds, Thornton is stocky and strong for a point guard, though he’s not considered a top-tier athlete and there are question marks about how his bully-ball game might translate in the NBA. Houston is betting Thornton’s on steady rise — he improved every season at Ohio State — and savvy play (3-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio) to be a calming hand in the backcourt.
It’s worth noting that the opportunity cost to move up eight spots was pretty modest for the Rockets. They moved down two spots with another 2026 selection (53 to 55) and sent out a future second-rounder from Sacramento.
