Rockets trade up to land Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton in 2nd round

HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets today announced they have completed two trades during the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft with the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets acquired the rights to Bruce Thornton (the 31st pick) and cash considerations in exchange for the rights to the 39th (Jack Kayil) and 53rd (Ugonna Onyenso) picks, a 2029 second round pick originally belonging to Sacramento and the rights to Mojave King.

Thornton (6-0, 223) was eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft following his senior season at Ohio State. He started 136 of a possible 137 games for his career, became the Buckeyes first four-time captain and is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,164 points.

Thornton is the first Division I player with career totals of at least 2,000 points and 500 assists while recording fewer than 200 turnovers since the NCAA began officially tracking turnovers in 1992-93.

The Georgia native increased his scoring average across each of his four seasons, including 19.9 ppg as a senior. For his career, Thornton had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.02 and shot 82.9% from the foul line.

Thornton led Melton High School to a Class 7A state title as a junior and was named Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. His father, Bruce Sr., was a fourth round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2004 NFL Draft and played cornerback in the league for two seasons. His younger brother, Bryce, is approaching his senior season as a safety for the University of Florida