NBA Rumors: 4 Non-James Harden free-agent targets Houston Rockets will prioritize
NBA Rumors: 4 non-James Harden free-agent targets that the Houston Rockets have on their radar.
The Houston Rockets are tired of rebuilding. They are ready to take the next step as a team and intend to do so even if it feels as if they’re forcing the issue a bit. If the recent reporting is any indication, this is a team that is going to be extremely active in the free-agency market this offseason.
Houston finished tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the second-worst record in the league this past season. Only winning 22 games in 2022-23, it’s clear that the losing has gotten to the team. They’re ready to make a big splash and unleash this team’s young talent on the rest of the league.
The one player that the Rockets have consistently been linked to for the past few months is James Harden. From all indications, Harden is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers and test the free-agency waters. There have already been several reports that suggest a Harden-to-Houston move is all but done.
But that’s not the only move that the Rockets could have up their sleeve this offseason.
According to a recent report, that all but confirmed the interest in Harden, there are four other free-agent targets that the Rockets could end up prioritizing this offseason – Brook Lopez, Dillon Brooks, Austin Reaves, and Cameron Johnson.
The non-James Harden options for the Houston Rockets
Lopez and Brooks are unrestricted free agents while Reaves and Johnson are restricted free agents. But with plenty of salary cap space to play with this offseason, the Rockets could apply pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers (Reaves) or Brooklyn Nets (Johnson) this summer.
If they wanted, they could probably add Brooks as a low-risk, high-reward player this offseason too with how little interest there could be revolving around his free-agent pursuit.
Nevertheless, if one thing is clear, it’s that the Rockets fully intend to significantly upgrade their roster – or at least working hard to do so. And another report suggests that signing Harden could be at the heart of their moves this summer.
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It’ll be interesting to see how this offseason ends up playing out for the Rockets, but it’s quickly become abundantly clear that Houston wants to be a player in the Western Conference next season. The big question is whether or not they are able to execute their offseason plan.