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https://preview.redd.it/88difxri3jyc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00bdd18dd12319854cef3220bdac8b82f7ccff37

Steven Adams gifted ja and Russ all the time with easy dunks and layups by using the gortat screen and I’m so excited to see it next year for jalen, Fred, cam etc, he taught jock how to do it shortly after arriving in Houston as I noticed jock start to do it for Fred in the later part of the season. Steven Adams in general will be great to watch in general he will fit right in and set big body screens.

Gortat screen explanation below; https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSFKwFkLB/

thats it. that's the post. either or both would be great additions to the team and have solid experience imo. clax and sengun would be unstoppable, jg norm and fred would average 60 a game at least, and clax and norm are both all-nba level defenders; would fit in perfectly, and not too expensive clax on a 2 yr/ 17m deal that will be closing soon, norm on a 5yr / 90m deal ending next year (20m next year)

these additions, with minimal loss on the current roster, would give us more than enough to go the next step; thoughts?

Giannis for Sengun, Cam Whitmore, and the Brooklyn picks.

Genuinely asking. (Assuming Giannis signed off). Bucks ain’t trading w/ anyone unless Giannis asks out.* it’s obviously a terribly high price. But it’s also the kind of deal a team parting with a top 3 player in the league might actually be in to.

Harden has made plenty of money for many lifetimes, I dont see him being humble enough to take a pay cut that will keep him in the league for a few more years.

He is done. There may be some contenders that will take him but at the vet minimum, which would be unacceptable to Harden.

I just dont see an easy way of going forward without having humility, which he sorely lacks.

He's had plenty of chances to lead a team to an NBA championship as a starter and honestly it's never gonna happen. If he wants a ring at this point, he's gotta come off the bench for a young team. The next generation has taken over (Ant, Shai, Doncic, Wemby). Current Rockets roster is a part of that next gen (Jalen, Sengun, Jabari, Amen, Cam, Tari). Houston is his home and it would be great if our youngins could help Harden get his ring.

https://x.com/htxhooper/status/1786551858800009654

Rockets need to look into bringing him on the staff to tighten up jalen and jabari , amen handles

Question in the subject - do you feel like we dodged a bullet w/ Lopez? Definitely looking very aged and slow vs the Pacers. Was taking on the younger (but coming off injury) Adams a better move?

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Current Roster: (12/15 roster spots filled)

• PG: Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson
• SG: Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore
• SF: Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Jae'Sean Tate*
• PF: Jabari Smith, Jeff Green*
• C: Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams, Jock Landale*

*Team Option/Non-Guaranteed contracts

Upcoming Free Agents:

• Unrestricted: Aaron Holiday(G), Reggie Bullock (G/F), Boban Marjanovic (C)
• Non-Guaranteed Contracts: Jock Landale (C)
• Team Options: Jae'Sean Tate (G/F), Jeff Green (F)
• Restricted: Nate Hinton (G/F), Jermaine Samuels (F), Nate Williams (F)

Offseason Finances: "Houston will enter the offseason with $121.7 million in guaranteed salary but is over the $141 million cap because of $25 million in non-guaranteed contracts (Tate, Jeff Green and Jock Landale).... The Rockets will have access to the $12.9 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception and $4.7 million biannual exception to use in free agency or acquire a player in a trade. The Rockets also have a $4.5 million trade exception." (Source: Bobby Marks at ESPN)

Handling the Non-Guaranteed Contracts: Considering the Rockets don't gain significant cap space by waiving Jeff, Tate, and Jock I expect them all to be retained for next year. They provide valuable depth, and at the very least can be used to match salaries in any potential deadline day deals. Retaining all three brings the total number of roster spots up to 12 out of a possible 15.

Team Needs: These needs are more subjective and based upon retaining the players mentioned above. These team needs could also be filled through the draft, but for now I'll just focus on potential free agents.

• Perimeter Shooting: 3 point shooting was one of this team's biggest weaknesses last year and fixing that should be a priority this off-season. IMO, adding someone who could shoot off movement (aka pin downs and flare screens) would add another dimension to our offense that would be really useful. At minimum though, we need more great spot-up shooters.
• Third String PG: I still consider Amen our point guard of the future, but he played most of last season as a wing and him being our only real PG behind FVV should be a concern. A 3rd string player who could come in and play back-up in the event of an injury to FVV or Amen is a big team need.

Free Agency Targets: Based on the needs above, I've provided a list of players who we could potentially use our $12.9 million non-taxpayer MLE and $4.7 million biannual exception on in free agency. Again, the team needs mentioned above could also be filled through the draft, but for now I'm just focusing on potential free agents signings.

• Luke Kennard (SG, Team Option): If Memphis rejects Luke's team option, the Rockets should pounce as he is one of the best movement shooters in the NBA. Over the past four years he has hit 46% of his 3s on high volume, with many being quick release shots off screens. If available, he's my favorite option to go after. Watch how he destroyed us with 10 threes just last year .
• Buddy Hield (SG, UFA/Bird): Buddy took a step back as a player this year, but he's still one of the premier shooters in the NBA, shooting 39% from 3. The Sixers have bird rights, so they can re-sign him while going over the cap which is probably something they'll be interested in doing. If Philly doesn't re-sign him though, he should definitely be a target for the Rockets if he's willing to accept the MLE. I think this signing is unlikely as there are a lot of "if"s involved for it to happen.
• Malik Beasley (SG, UFA/Non-Bird): Beasley was a knockdown shooter this past year hitting 41% of his threes and would help improve our spacing immensely. His defense leaves a bit to be desired though, but that's the trade-off when going bargain-bin hunting with the MLE. A solid option nevertheless, and probably the guy easiest to obtain considering he's a UFA without Bird rights.
• Gary Harris (SG, UFA/Bird): Orlando also needs shooting, so they probably retain him with bird rights, but if available Gary Harris is another solid shooter who has hit 39% of his 3s over the past 4 years while also providing solid defense.
• Doug McDermott (SF, UFA/Bird): Another knockdown shooter who is capable of quick release shots coming off screens. That's a very useful skillset in today's NBA, but he's an absolutely horrible defender and I can't imagine Ime giving him a ton of leeway to stay on the court. A potential option, but not one of my favorites.
• Aaron Holiday (PG, UFA/Non-Bird): Someone every Rockets fan should be familiar with. He fits perfectly into that 3rd string PG role as a capable shooter and defender. Hopefully, we can retain him with the biannual exception of $4.7 million, but his play this year and good shooting may have bumped him beyond that price range. It's very possibly that the only way we retain him is through the MLE.
• Delon Wright (PG, UFA/Non-Bird): A steady vet presence (32 years old) who would be an extremely capable back-up PG when called upon. He plays great defense, has good size at the position at 6'5'', and is a reliable 3point shooter (37% over the past 5 years). I think he's someone Ime would love to have on the team.
• Jordan Goodwin (PG, RFA/Two-Way): A solid PG who put in a good shift for the hospital Grizzlies as a hard nosed defender. His shooting leaves a bit to be desired though (career 31% 3pt shooter), so for that reason, I think there are better options.

https://x.com/the_bball_index/status/1785806406211514711

It's so embarrassing to see the empty seats in the lower bowl, but they're so expensive. They need to figure out a way to make those seats more affordable since right now people aren't buying them.

Noticed a lot of Harden hate posts. I just wanted to remind everyone that James Harden is not a Rocket anymore. You can let go. It’s okay.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NBA_Draft/s/dLwex7GKaL

This sub loves this??? Gimme a break

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Zjye8yrNT/

I'm a Toronto fan and haven't checked in on my man Fred. How did everyone feel about him here?

As it stands, our roster is chalk full of high draft picks and developing young talent, the only true hole in our roster is back-up point guard (i dont consider Amen a pg). If we were to load up the (potentially) 8th pick, with salary filler like Landale and Tate, assuming we pick up his option. We could trade down to the mid first round and gun for Topic or Collier, while also taking some better talent from some of the teams in that area. I was thinking maybe Jonathan Isaac or Duop Reath, just someone with 3 and D skill who doesnt need to play more than 20 mins a night

Do those of you who feel strongly about Jalen Greens future see him as being that much better than what we’ve already seen from Cam? I don’t see why we’d offer Jalen anywhere near the max when we have Cam making peanuts and scoring at a higher percentage.

I’d love to trade Jalen now before we see one more year of inconsistency, max Sengun, give Cam a chance to see if he improves at the 2, and make a free agent move for Derrick White next offseason to replace FVV.