The Houston Rockets’ final opportunity to add an external contributor comes by way of the buyout market, which is currently underway.
(Well, quality contributors who haven’t been unrestricted free agents all season, that is.)
The deadline for teams to waive players was Sunday, March 1. Will the Rockets be active?
We’d heard a significant amount of chatter regarding the Rockets’ presumed position as buyers on the trade market and….well…that didn’t quite materialize.
Houston was the least bit active.
Will
the buyout market shape up any differently, for Houston’s brass? Well, it depends on the candidates.
Lonzo Ball? Nah, he’s likely washed.
Khris Middleton? He’d provide value, for sure. But he didn’t hit the market.
Is Houston in most need of a wing scorer, anyways?
It’s definitely a need. Especially with injuries mounting at that spot.
Tari Eason has been playing through an ankle injury, Jabari Smith Jr. just had an ankle injury and Amen Thompson seemed to suffer an injury of his own to his lower extremities.
And Josh Okogie has fallen out of the lineup, and Jae’Sean Tate is also injured.
Would Eric Gordon make sense? He’s been available for weeks, so we would’ve already seen or heard something.
The team clearly passed on Chris Paul, prompting retirement.
Josh Christopher? Been there, done that, literally in Houston’s case.
Kevon Looney would be great (maybe?) but the New Orleans Pelicans didn’t buy him out. Chris Boucher could be a good addition (maybe?) but would Ime Udoka play him?
He’d kind of have to, for one, because Clint Capela can’t be expected to soak up all of the reserve center minutes every night. He’s in year 12.
Udoka seems to trust veterans, anyways. So Boucher would be his type of player.
But would Houston be getting this year’s version of him? Eight points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes, on 32 percent from the field, 13 percent from deep, and 36 percent effective shooting leaves alot to be desired.
Even last year’s version as a 32-year-old was valuable. 10 points, 4.5 rebounds (1.4 offensive), .5 blocks, 49.2 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from deep (3.9 attempts), 61.5 percent true shooting and 58.6 percent effective.
Houston could use that.
If getting that version.
So that leaves just two potential names in Gordon and Boucher. So basically it all comes down to Boucher.
Which probably means Houston won’t be active on the buyout market either.
