Key free agent departures and remaining gems are detailed. Discover who's available and what Houston can still achieve before crucial deadlines loom.
NBA fans saw a sad exit this past weekend as Chris Paul decided to call it a career. An unceremonious end as he was benched by the Clippers, then traded to Toronto and waived.
After officially retiring on Friday the 13th, this took CP3 off the short list of players available for the Rockets to pick up. Whether it's to accommodate the loss of Steven Adams or Fred VanVleet, Houston should do something.
Cam Thomas was presumed to be a solid option for Houston, but those hopes were shot down with his almost immediate signing to Milwaukee. His 34 points in a surprise win against the Magic left Houston fans imagining what could’ve been.
Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee are still on the market, along with a handful of others that I previously mentioned on Roundtable.
Despite conflicting reports about him signing in Golden State, Lonzo Ball hasn’t officially been picked up by any team.
The same goes for another waived Jazzman, Chris Boucher. An undersized F/C who only played in nine games for Boston this season. Definitely not my top pick.
Sticking in Utah, it seems unlikely that they’ll attempt a buyout with Jusuf Nurkic as Walker Kessler and Jaren Jackson Jr. are missing the remainder of the season. While Nurk is set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Jazz can re-sign him using Bird rights and either retain him and get something in a sign-and-trade.
Another big man that fits the Clint Capela mold is Mo Bamba, who's gotten less than ten minutes of action this season after only playing in two games. Last season he only played 34 games, but did at least get more minutes. However, he is averaging a double double in the G-League, shooting 39.6-percent from deep on four attempts per game, per NBA G-League Stats.
Tony Bradley is also available and pretty comparable to Mo Bamba. He won't shoot as many threes, but he might be overall more consistent of a player. We know he can still get NBA minutes considering he played 38 games for Indiana already this season.
The short-handed Pacers also experimented with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for some time this season, playing 17 games with them, followed by a handful of games in Dallas. Both on separate 10-day contracts. It's a little surprising that Houston hasn't even tried a non-committal option like that, just to test the waters.
The Detroit Pistons recently waived Dario Šarić to create roster space, but again, he isn't the biggest or most physical guy. Not a very solid option in my opinion.
The options are really running low as the Knicks scooped up Jeremy Sochan, essentially the instant he was released. While he was probably too small to fit Houston's needs, it signifies the urgency around the league.
Rafael Stone only has until March 1st to make a signing in order for that player to be eligible for the playoffs. Otherwise, this is the roster they're taking into the postseason.