Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Re-Sign Gerald Green

July 1st, 2018 at 12:04am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10: The Rockets have officially re-signed Green, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 1: Houston native Gerald Green will be returning to the Rockets for the 2018/19 season, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). According to Berman, Green and the Rockets have reached an agreement on a one-year, minimum-salary contract.

Having played for eight teams in his NBA career since debuting in 2005, Green returned to his hometown for a second stint with the Rockets in 2017/18. He enjoyed a productive year for the West’s No. 1 seed, averaging 12.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG with a .407/.369/.850 shooting line in 41 games (22.7 MPG).

According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), the Rockets liked what Green brought to his role and “absolutely loved his attitude.”

Re-signing Green at an affordable rate is an important move for the Rockets, who will lose veteran forward Trevor Ariza to the Suns. Houston will also make an effort to bring back Luc Mbah a Moute, as well as Clint Capela. The club has already agreed to terms on a four-year, maximum-salary deal with Chris Paul.

As our chart of minimum salaries shows, Green’s new deal will pay him $2,393,887, though he’ll only count for $1,512,601 against Houston’s cap.

Jabari Parker Likely To Leave Bucks?

June 30th, 2018 at 1:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Kings are just one of the teams expected to make a run at Jabari Parker, and some executives within the league view the former No. 2 overall pick to be among the small tier of players below stars such as LeBron James and Paul George.

“Hey, he’s a good player; I mean he’s a really good player,’’ an NBA executive told Gary Woelfel (via Woelfel’s Press Box). “And he’s young.’’

Parker is a restricted free agent, meaning the Bucks can match any rival offer he receives. One longtime NBA executive expects the 23-year-old to see a rather lucrative deal.

“I think some teams will give him $20MM [per season] and there might be some teams that will make it tough on Milwaukee to match and offer him even more,’’ the NBA official tells Woelfel.

“I think Milwaukee would like to keep him for $16MM or something around that figure, trying to use his injury situation to their advantage. But there are teams that need a big-time scorer and nobody doubts he’s a big-time scorer.’’

Another NBA executive speculated that the Sixers could make an offer for Parker should they fail to land a bigger target like James, George or Kawhi Leonard. Woelfel names the Bulls, Jazz, Pacers, Hawks, Suns, and Nets as possibilities as well.

Other NBA executives who spoke with Woelfel believe a sign-and-trade is a more likely scenario for the combo forward. That route would be Milwaukee’s preference rather than being forced to decide between signing Parker to a player-friendly contract or losing him for nothing. “It’s no secret” that the Bucks would be open to receiving an upgrade at point guard or center in such an agreement, Woelfel adds.

The Rockets and Clippers are both high on Parker and could be possibilities if a sign-and-trade were to occur, though it would be hard for Houston to complete a deal and stay under the tax apron if the team retains its own key free agents. Los Angeles and Milwaukee had discussions about Parker at last year’s trade deadline.

Parker likes Milwaukee and he reportedly paid around $1.5MM to redo the warehouse he currently lives in, according to Woelfel’s sources. Those same sources tell the scribe that despite Parker being comfortable in his current situation, it’s more likely he leaves then stays.

“He loves the people there; he loves the city,” the source said. “But I don’t see him staying there. If you’re asking me, it’s 75-25 he goes to another team.’’

Many dominos, such as James coming out of his decision cave, are likely to fall before Parker inks his next contract with a source estimating that a deal won’t take place until late-July or early-August.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Rockets Extend Qualifying Offer To Clint Capela

June 29th, 2018 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets extended a qualifying offer to center Clint Capela, making him a restricted free agent, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets.

Capela’s qualifying offer is worth $4,749,591. The move was a mere formality, since Capela has emerged as their most important frontcourt component.

Capela averaged 13.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG and 1.9 BPG in his fourth season. He was a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award.

The Rockets might have an easier time than expected locking up Capela. There aren’t many teams who are both looking for a center and have enough cap room to put together a serious offer sheet. The Mavericks, who are in the market for a quality big man, have their sights set on DeAndre Jordan. The Suns were a possibility until they drafted Deandre Ayton.

The Rockets also gave two-way player Markel Brown a qualifying offer, making the 6’3” guard a restricted free agent as well.

Gerald Green To Meet With Rockets On July 1

June 29th, 2018 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent swingman Gerald Green will meet with the Rockets in Los Angeles on July 1, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Haynes, Green will have multiple suitors.

Qualifying Offer Decisions: Caboclo, M. Brown, Paige

June 29th, 2018 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings won’t tender a qualifying offer to former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo, league sources tell ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Caboclo will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.

A qualifying offer, which would have been worth $3.5MM+, was never expected for Caboclo, who has appeared in just 35 games in his NBA career since being picked 20th overall in the 2014 draft.

At the time the Raptors selected him, draft guru Fran Fraschilla infamously referred to Caboclo as “two years away from being two years away,” but after four NBA seasons, the 6’9″ forward doesn’t appear to be on the verge of breaking through. In 10 games (10.0 MPG) with the Kings after being included in a midseason trade, the 22-year-old averaged 2.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG with a .310/.200/.833 shooting line.

Here are a couple more updates on qualifying offer decisions:

The Rockets have issued a qualifying offer to two-way player Markel Brown, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. The one-year, two-way contract offer, which includes a $50K guarantee, will give Houston the opportunity to match an offer sheet for Brown.
Former UNC guard Marcus Paige, who was on a two-way contract with the Hornets, won’t be receiving a qualifying offer from the team, according to a press release. The decision ensures that Paige will become an unrestricted free agent.

Could Trevor Ariza Be Odd Man Out In Houston?

June 29th, 2018 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to working on re-signing Chris Paul and Clint Capela, the Rockets will also make an effort to retain Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Green, according to Spears, who suggests that Trevor Ariza could end up as the odd man out in Houston.

[SOURCE LINK]

LeBron James Won’t Exercise Player Option

June 29th, 2018 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James‘ agent Rich Paul has informed the Cavaliers that James won’t exercise his $35.61MM player option for the 2018/19 season, reports Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. As a result, James will reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent this Sunday.

While the move ensures that James will be free to sign with any team that can afford him next week, his decision isn’t necessarily bad news for the Cavaliers. LeBron’s only realistic path to joining certain over-the-cap teams would have been via an opt-in and trade. Becoming an unrestricted free agent will make it extremely challenging for potential suitors like the Rockets or Heat to find a way to acquire him.

James’ decision looks like good news for teams with cap room, such as the Lakers and Sixers, who will have the opportunity to sign the four-time MVP outright. Los Angeles could have enough cap space for two maximum-salary free agents, while Philadelphia would have to make a roster move or two – likely involving Jerryd Bayless – to create the room necessary to offer LeBron a maximum-salary contract, which is currently projected to start at $35.35MM.

As for the Cavs, they remain in the mix for James since they hold his Bird rights, which allow them to go over the cap – and into the tax – to re-sign their star forward. Cleveland is the only team eligible to offer LeBron a five-year contract, which would be worth a projected $205MM+. James could sign a four-year contract with another team, though in recent years he has shown a preference for shorter-term deals that allow him to maximize his flexibility.

With James now on track to officially become a free agent on Sunday, the real fun is set to begin. The Lakers and Sixers, LeBron’s top two non-Cleveland suitors, are said to be considering strong pushes to acquire Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs. While San Antonio won’t rush into a deal involving Leonard, L.A. and Philadelphia reportedly believe that trading for Leonard would improve their chances of winning the LeBron sweepstakes, so both teams could be aggressive in the coming days.

For what it’s worth, Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports reported on Thursday that Leonard has reached out to James to express interest in playing alongside him. According to Schultz, Kawhi pointed out that his defensive ability would alleviate the pressure on LeBron on that end of the court.

Even if the Lakers don’t land Leonard, the team’s cap flexibility makes L.A. an intriguing landing spot for LeBron, with Vardon reporting that James’ interest in joining the Lakers is “strong.” The Lakers are considered a serious suitor for free agent forward Paul George, and have a strong young core of players if they want to target another veteran star in a trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets Exercise Team Option On Aaron Jackson

June 29th, 2018 at 8:24am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have picked up their team option on Aaron Jackson, keeping him on the roster for now, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Jackson, 32, signed with the Rockets on the last day of the 2017/18 regular season and made his NBA debut in Houston’s regular-season finale. Jackson played 35 minutes in that contest, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds.

Although Jackson’s contract with the Rockets included a team option for 2018/19, his $1,378,242 salary remains non-guaranteed even now that the option has been exercised. Keeping the veteran guard around gives Houston a few more trade options — if the Rockets need to include him in a trade to match salaries, his salary would become guaranteed. Otherwise, he’ll likely be released at some point before the team is on the hook for his salary.

Because he can’t be traded within three months of his signing, Jackson will become trade-eligible after July 11.

While it’s not clear while Jackson will ultimately spend next season, a return to the EuroLeague seems unlikely. Jackson, who spent several seasons with CSKA Moscow, tweeted this week that he doesn’t have interest in returning to Europe due to the “10-month season” there (hat tip to Sportando).

Mavs Looking To Acquire DeAndre Jordan

June 28th, 2018 at 1:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 28, 1:42pm: Jordan is the Mavericks’ primary target as free agency approaches, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. According to MacMahon, if a trade agreement can’t be reached and the veteran center declines his option, Dallas plans to pursue him aggressively as a free agent. The interest between Jordan and the Mavs is mutual, sources tell MacMahon.

JUNE 27, 9:28pm: The Mavericks are engaged in talks with the Clippers to acquire center DeAndre Jordan this week, sources told Marc Stein of the New York Times.

This is a case of forgive and forget, as Jordan notoriously backed out on a free-agent deal with Dallas during the summer of 2015 to stay in L.A.

Jordan has a Friday night deadline to decide whether to exercise his $24.1MM player option for next season. If he opts in, Dallas can trade for him before free agency begins on Sunday. Swingman Wesley Matthews and his $18.6MM contract would likely be the centerpiece of any offer, according to Stein.

If Jordan opts out, Dallas could pursue him in free agency along with two other centers, unrestricted free agent DeMarcus Cousins and restricted free agent Clint Capela.

The Clippers have granted permission to Jordan and agent Jeff Schwartz to explore trade scenarios with other teams. It’s a similar scenario to All-Star guard Chris Paul opting in with the team and then getting traded to the Rockets last summer.

Dallas passed on drafting a big man last Thursday and instead made a deal with the Hawks for EuroLeague guard Luka Doncic.

Trevor Ariza To Line Up Meetings With Suitors

June 28th, 2018 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets forward Trevor Ariza will reach unrestricted free agency on Sunday, and he plans to schedule meetings with interested teams starting on July 1, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Ariza, who turns 33 on Saturday, averaged 11.7 PPG and 4.4 RPG with a .368 3PT% in 67 regular-season games for the Rockets. While his season ended on a low note following an 0-for-12 shooting performance in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the veteran played a key role in Houston, knocking down corner threes and playing excellent perimeter defense.

The Rockets will have to make a number of decisions in free agency in the coming days, as Chris Paul and Clint Capela are up for lucrative new deals. General manager Daryl Morey also figures to explore ways to upgrade the roster further, with LeBron James atop the club’s list of targets.

With so many moving parts in play, the Rockets will have to be careful not to overlook Ariza, who figures to draw interest from a number of contending teams in need of a three-and-D wing.

According to Charania, there’s no truth to a report that Ariza will demand a $50-60MM payday as a free agent. However, I expect the 14-year veteran to do well on the open market — his free agency could resemble Andre Iguodala‘s a year ago, when several teams tried to pry Iguodala away from Golden State and the swingman leveraged that interest into a lucrative new deal.