The Houston Rockets are heading into this NBA offseason with more salary cap space and money to burn than any team in the league.
With James Harden appearing increasingly likely to return to the Philadelphia 76ers, nobody quite knows what direction Houston will opt to go in.
That said – they are definitely going to add some big names this summer.
Both restricted and unrestricted free agents will be up for grabs.
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have their sights set on two specific member of the Los Angeles Lakers this summer.
The first is Austin Reaves.
“A breakthrough success, Reaves exceled against better competition in the postseason, fits well with LeBron James, and offers a coveted mix of ability to work off the ball as a catch-and-shoot threat and to get his own shot on the ball,” he wrote.
It’s easy to see why Reaves would be a good fit in Houston. There’s a reason two other teams are interested in him as well.
The second Laker that the Rockets have interest in is Rui Hachimura.
“Hachimura made 48.7 percent of his 3s in the postseason and averaged 15.3 points in the series against the Nuggets, demonstrating his ability to fit well in between LeBron James and Anthony Davis,” Feigen wrote.
“His defensive versatility would work well with many teams. His playing time decreased through the regular season after he was acquired by the [Washington] Wizards, but he was a consistent contributor in the postseason.”
Much as is the case with Reaves, Houston would need to fend off two other teams who are interested in Hachimura’s services if they were to add him.
Woj on the Kyrie situation. https://t.co/pMGuul9ZYS
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 29, 2023
The Rockets have a lot of young talent and a veteran coach in Ime Udoka.
They will need to bring in some players to bridge that age and experience gap.
Will any of those players ultimately end up being Reaves or Hachimura? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
