Iko: The Rockets wanted to exchange Whitmore for the first round pick on draft night, but they were not interested in the team.

The Athletic reporter Kelly Iko posted a post, talking about the inside story of the Rockets' trading about Whitmore:

"According to team sources, on draft night, the Rockets tried to trade Whitmore for a draft pick in the late first round, but other teams were not interested. After realizing that Houston's valuation of Whitmore was higher than general expectations, the process accelerated, and Kevin Durant's arrival was even worse. The Rockets' senior executives, led by General Manager Raphael Stone, had a close conversation with Whitmore, striving to find the best solution for both sides - to get rich returns and get a team that is interested in him and has playing time.

There were several other reports about Whitmore at the time The offer, including a second-round draft pick – the Houston Rockets could have easily sent him to that direction – but Whitmore’s agent put development first and didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past two seasons. The Rockets chose a place close to home (Whitmore High School plays in Maryland, about 25 miles from Washington, D.C.) and the team is in the rebuilding phase, which is consistent with his current goal. It was also the best deal at the time.

Maybe the Houston Rockets could have given Whitmore more performance opportunities during the season, but it required him to force into Udoka’s rotation, which seems unlikely given their current roster depth.”