The Rockets are acquiring their 2028 second-round draft pick from Atlanta in exchange for taking on the salary of veteran Hawks center Cody Zeller.

The Houston Rockets made a last-minute move ahead of the NBA trade deadline Thursday afternoon to acquire center Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction.

Houston's only trade heading into deadline day was a deal with the Boston Celtics that saw them net Jaden Springer while swapping second-round picks with the C's. The Rockets will be sending out a 2028 second-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Zeller, allowing them to shore up their bench with another small trade.

Through all of the noise, the Houston Rockets stayed relatively quiet, making two minor moves. The first was exchanging second-round picks with the Boston Celtics, as Jaden Springer was the only player involved in the deal. He would eventually be waived, per Mike Scotto of HoopsHype.

While their Western Conference competitors engineered seismic deals that altered the NBA landscape — trading for Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and De’Aaron Fox — the Houston Rockets remained at a relative standstill as Thursday’s NBA trade deadline passed.

The other big trade saw the Hawks send Guard Bogdan Bogdanović to the Los Angeles Clippers for Guard Terence Mann and Guard Bones Holland. Bogdanović had been a key bench player for Atlanta but was in year two of his four-year extension with the Hawks and is due over $17 million this season.

The Atlanta Hawks are trading Cody Zeller and Houston's 2028 second-round pick to the Rockets, sources tell ESPN. Source: x.com Lauren L. Williams: For tomorrow’s game vs. Phoenix: Questionable Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee inflammation) Trae Young (illness) Out Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery) Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) Larry Nance Jr.