Morey says the Rockets had an agreed-to trade for a pick in the 20's

Clutch, did the Rockets think they had a legitimate shot at Jimmy Butler in a S&T that summer, or was it seen as more of a long shot? Basically, was it iPad-recruitment of Chris Bosh where it probably wasn't going to happen, or was it four years later, when he agreed and changed his mind last minute, saving Houston from being locked into a Harden/Howard/Parsons/Bosh quadruple-max LT team?

Marcus Smart with 2 years left on his deal is a much more re-routable piece than Capela, and having an agreed-to Smart/Capela swap at the draft that could have been aggregated later into a massive deal once free agency started seems like a great move that offers a ton of flexibility.

There's also the interesting possibility that Brandon Clarke might have actually been a pick for yet ANOTHER team, similar to De'Anthony Melton, whom the Rockets were comfortable keeping, but also knew they could include as a sweetener to clear cap if necessary.

Finally, hindsight is 20/20, but man, the end of the 2019 draft was just a murderer's row of steals, even with Clarke off the board, that you probably make that deal regardless now...

22. Grant Williams
23. Darius Bazley
25. Nassir Little
28. Jordan Poole
29. Keldon Johnson
30. Kevin Porter Jr.
31. Nic Claxton