Entering the night of the draft, the Rockets had only one selection at hand, with it being the pick they acquired from the
Miami Heat via a previous trade involving the
Memphis Grizzlies and
Charlotte Hornets, being the lowest second round pick of those teams. On the night of the draft, the Rockets selected former
University of Southern California guard
De'Anthony Melton as their sole selection that year. Melton only played one season at USC, playing that previous season as a starter in 25 out of 36 games played there, recording averages of 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game that season. He was originally planned to play in his sophomore season, but was suspended and later left in relation to the
2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal. Prior to the start of the season, Melton was traded alongside veteran power forward
Ryan Anderson to the
Phoenix Suns on August 31, 2018, in exchange for veteran point guard
Brandon Knight and power forward
Marquese Chriss. ==Roster==