Houston needs perimeter threats to unlock Ime Udoka’s offense. Targeting these two affordable sharpshooters could provide the spacing necessary to propel the Rockets' young core into a successful season.
While the Houston Rockets have been in plenty of headlines speculating big moves, I’m starting to doubt anything major will happen, as I previously discussed on Roundtable.
Assuming Ime Udoka and the Rockets start next season with the same core as last season, they’ll still need to add some pieces around the edges.
The return of Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams can be great, but unfortunately we don’t know how they’ll look yet. The same can be said about the 31st pick in last week's draft, Bruce Thornton.
On the other hand, we can almost guarantee this team will still need more help from beyond the arc. I don’t think anyone expects Amen Thompson to come in with an elite stroke next season, and it’d still be surprising to see Şengün shoot above average for an entire year.
While improvements can come from within, and guys like Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. having a higher likelihood of becoming elite shooters, it’s still most likely a free agent signing or two would be most beneficial.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
He just had the best three point shooting season of his career, so I’d definitely keep an eye on him. After taking a veteran minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets, he might be looking to move on.
A career 36.5-percent shooter, he’s never been afraid to let it fly. Last year he shot 40.7-percent on nearly seven threes per game. 6.9 attempts to be exact, per Basketball-Reference.
Given the tax difference from state to state, that same contract would make him even more money in Texas. Depending on the outcome of Tari Eason’s contract, the Rockets could even have a Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, as covered on Roundtable.
Gary Trent Jr.
While he hasn’t currently made an official decision, Gary Trent Jr. is reportedly expected to decline his $3.8 million player option with the Milwaukee Bucks. That is a bit surprising, but it signals that he wants out.
I’m not convinced he would get more than a minimum contract on the market, and certainly not a multi-year deal. It seems like he just wants to get away from the stink of that Milwaukee rebuild, and is willing to potentially risk the loss of money.
Nonetheless, he’s an even better career three point shooter than Hardaway, draining 38.7-percent on 6.1 attempts per game. He’s played nearly 500 games in the league over these past eight years so it’s a pretty significant sample size, per Basketball-Reference.
Neither one of them will give you the defense that Ime Udoka desires, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent. This team needs shooting in a bad way and they can’t be picky but we'll see what they do in the coming weeks.
