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The Houston Rockets reportedly plan to pursue James Harden and Fred VanVleet over Kyrie Irving as they seek to sign a veteran guard this summer.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Houston ranks Irving third “at best” among available guards, indicating there’s little chance the Rockets will pursue the eight-time All-Star.
It’s unclear if Houston will seriously pursue a high-profile veteran, though a reunion with Harden has been heavily rumored. Momentum on Harden-to-Houston has cooled in recent weeks, with Matt Moore of Action Network reporting the Rockets brain trust believes the 2018 NBA MVP could be using them as leverage in negotiations with the 76ers.
As it stands, it does not make a significant amount of sense for the youth-laden Rockets to pursue a veteran guard in free agency. Houston has been widely linked to Amen Thompson with the No. 4 pick in this week’s NBA draft. There are some who believe Thompson’s potential is on par with Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller, who are virtual locks to go No. 2 and No. 3 in some order behind Victor Wembanyama.
Adding Thompson and a veteran guard would quickly create a logjam in a backcourt already populated by Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green. There’s little reason to believe the Rockets want to move on from Porter or Green—especially with Porter inked to one of the most team-friendly contracts in basketball.
The idea of blowing the trajectory up for a high-profile veteran always seemed odd. While Houston will be armed with $59.1 million in practical cap space, a more prudent use of those funds would see the Rockets target a rising wing or big man on the open market.
Any team with an attractive restricted free agent should see the Rockets as a major threat. Rui Hachimura (Los Angeles Lakers), P.J. Washington (Charlotte Hornets), Grant Williams (Boston Celtics) and Matisse Thybulle (Portland Trail Blazers) are all RFAs who fit in Houston’s timeline and fill a need.
The Rockets should also be seen as suitors for younger unrestricted free agents like Naz Reid, Jalen McDaniels, Kyle Kuzma and Dillon Brooks. Kelly Iko of The Athletic previously linked Brooks to Houston.
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