Houston Rockets Free Agent Targets & Rumors: Buddy Hield, Malik Beasley, Eric Gordon & More

Houston Rockets Free Agent Targets & Rumors: Buddy Hield, Malik Beasley, Eric Gordon & More

on today’s show Houston Rockets free agency targets and rumors how to address the Houston Rockets distinct lack of shooting on this roster which players fit this team this identity best and who should the Rockets be pursuing this off season all that and so much more on today’s locked on Rockets this is Mission Control Houston ignition sequence start 6 5 4 3 2 1 what’s up and welcome to another edition of lock on Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball as always I’m your host Jackson Gatlin native houstonian and credential media member I’m also the host of locked on NBA Mondays be sure to follow along wherever you listen to your podcast or on YouTube just search locked on Rockets be sure to like comment and subscribe that’s the best way you can help our short is to comment anything below the YouTube video I want your thoughts on who the Rockets should be pursuing in free AG gency this offseason but if you don’t want to do all that just go type go Rockets it helps us out a ton now today’s episode is brought to you by LinkedIn jobs which helps you find the qualified candidates that you want to talk to faster post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon NBA that’s linkedin.com locked on MBA to post your job for free terms and conditions apply and as always thank you so much for making locked on Rockets part of your day every single day whether it’s on your way to work on your lunch break in the gym thank you for being it everyday or making the show part of your day every single day we’re going to Pivot away from our draft coverage here momentarily as NBA free agency is just under a month away and this Houston Rockets team does have some pressing needs so we’re going to put pause on the speculation and what the Houston Rockets could be doing with that number three overall selection in the draft and we’re going to focus on what the Rockets can do via free agency to address some of the holes in this roster and the biggest need here has has changed we’ve talked about it before this Rockets team needs shooting now I’ll preface this by saying that you’re not going to fix the shooting woes of this team with one free agency sign hell you’re not going to fix it with two free agency signings okay the Rockets were 23rd in the NBA and 3o percentage this past season while also being 12th in the NBA in three-point attempts per game now that number did jump up a little bit because again for the first half of the Season or maybe even two-thirds of the Season it felt like the Rockets were kind of stuck in the ’90s playing a very old school brand of basketball not prioritizing the three ball nearly as much as we’re we’ve been accustomed to seeing from this Houston Rockets team over the last couple decades or so and they need Shooters right that you can’t get by without it in the modern NBA shooting is always a premium so I will say though for this team to get to where they want to be next year you’re going to need internal growth from a lot of guys in in regards to their shooting right Alper shenon has to become a better shooter Jaylen green has to become a better shooter Jabari took a step up into shooting his past season but he needs to become a more consistent shooter because there were some games where he just couldn’t hit anything and other games where he was lights out knocking down everything right so less streakiness needs to be more consistent with his shooting getting tar een back in the rotation will help quite a bit uh am Min Thompson really needs to become at least a a semi serviceable outside three-point shooter right because the times where he was left wide open did kind of muck things up offensively for this rock it team so across the board they need internal development uh in the shooting Department to become a better team next season but they can also nudge themselves in the right direction by pursuing and potentially picking up a free agent or two that give them a dimension that they don’t currently have right which is a knockdown dead eyee three-point shooter somebody that can you know ideally clock in coming off the bench and start filling it up right and space the floor open things up for for Jaylen green and Alper and shenon offensively uh and there are a lot of names on the free agency Marketplace this offseason that kind of fit the bill and I have them here broken up on today’s show into uh kind of low lower tier players mid- tier players and highend kind of players that the Rockets could be or should be pursuing in free agency this off season I guess I just couldn’t get away from our our draft profile format where we’ve got the NBA comps and we’ve got the low mid and highend outcomes for these NBA draft prospect so I figured we would kind of stick with it here for the speculation on the Rockets free agency Pursuits and what I want to start with is just the lowend guys because these these guys are going to be real quick hitters um the NBA has has evolved away from the idea of guys who are kind of you know shooting Specialists quote unquote uh the days of you know the Steve novaks uh of the NBA or the Jason konos of the NBA ever are are far and gone but there are still guys that kind of fit that mold where shooting is the skill that they mainly bring to the table and unfortunately not a ton else right so the two names that I have on kind of the low tier uh potential free agency targets for the Rockets to consider are uh Luke Canard with the Memphis Grizzlies and Buddy hee uh coming off of a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers so let’s start with Buddy hee really quick uh he’s coming off a 23.5 million deal expired contract with the 76ers he’s 31 years old shot 38.5% from three this past season averaged about 12 points per contest the thing with Buddy hee and and Hell Rocket’s former general manager darl mury kind of alluded to this in his exit press conferences after the 76 or season was over is that things didn’t quite work with Buddy heeld in Philadelphia and darl actually owned up to that he was like I I misread that situation I thought he would be a good addition to this team and we just never really found a way way to to implement him or to get him out there and working with you know Joel with uh with with maxi you know the way that we thought it would work on paper and that’s the problem here is it’s not 2K right you can’t just plug in a shooter and expect him to average 20 plus a game because oh his three-point percentage looks great so buddy heel that’s what he does though he is a shooter he is a floor spacer but he doesn’t bring a ton else to the table right yes he’s a knockdown Dead Eye shooter yes he will let that thing fly but you know so Defender not really super great at putting the ball on the floor not great attacking off the catch like there’s just not a ton else that buddy heeld really brings to the table so is that the guy that you’d be comfortable with committing the mle to because that’s what the Rockets have to work with this offseason I kind of jumped the gun there a little bit but they do have their non- taxpayer mle to pursue any of these potential free agency targets which again clocks in at just under 13 million right out of the gate uh but if they wanted to go with the maximum value of this offseason’s mle I believe it’s up to 4 years and approximately $55 million is the most that they could sign a player to using this offseason’s midlevel or non- taxpayer midlevel exception so buddy heeld would be taking a little bit of a pay cut if he were to do that but let’s let’s face it buddy heal’s probably not a $20 million player he’s probably not even a$ 15 million doll player at this stage in his career but what he could be right is he could be the guy that The Rock roets you know float the mle to or portion of the mle maybe not the whole mle and kind of he he would fill that kind of Reggie Bullock roll on the bench right that serviceable three-point outside shooting threat check him into a game if he’s hot cool maybe let him you know get him some second half run that kind of thing if not then you don’t go back to him uh this second guy here kind of similar thing right Luke Canard um that’s kind of he now luk Canard a little bit more Adept at putting the ball on the floor and making something happen he’s got his little you know pull up game he’s got a he’s got a little bit more JJ reic to his game than buddy heel does about being able to kind of come off screens really quickly catching and shooting uh but both these guys motion Shooters Luke Canard a little bit more Adept at putting the ball on the floor and making something happen with it uh kind of using that shooting gravity that he has coming off screens that kind of thing uh but unfortunately Luke Canard actually is coming off of it well is not a guaranteed unrestricted free agent he has a team option with the Grizzlies for this next season at 14 million so will the Grizzlies decline his team option will they pick it up kind of TBD on that front but if the Grizzlies do decline his team option I mean he’s a guy he’s 28 years old shot 45% from three average 11 points per game he’s a guy that can you know he could rack up a couple dnps here or there and then when you need him when you need the three-point shooting in a given matchup or you know against a specific team maybe then he’s the guy you can go to and say hey we need we need to plug you into the game go get us some buckets go space the floor for us that kind of thing so those are my two candidates on the Rockets kind of short list of possible free agency Targets on the low end of names that they should be or could be pursuing this off season coming up want to get to our mid-tier players on the list before we work our way up to the high-end outcomes because I’ve got a creative little uh a trade in fact that the Rockets could potentially be uh pursuing down the line we’re going to get to some of the reporting as well some of these names uh some of what I’m hearing about what the Rockets are hoping to be able to do this offseason we’re going to get there in just one moment first today’s episode is brought to you by LinkedIn when you’re hiring for your small business you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role that’s why you have to check out LinkedIn jobs LinkedIn jobs has the tools to help you find the right Professionals for your team faster and for free because LinkedIn isn’t just another job board LinkedIn has a vast network of more than a billion professionals which makes it the best place to hire it gives you access to professionals that you can’t find anywhere else LinkedIn does all of that while making the process easy and intuitive because LinkedIn knows that small businesses are wearing so many hats and might not have the time or the resources to hire LinkedIn is constantly finding ways to make the process easier they even just launched a feature that helps you write job descriptions making the process even easier and quicker post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon MBA that’s linkedin.com lockon MBA to post your job job for free terms and conditions apply and continuing on here at locked on Rockets where we are about to discuss our mid-tier Houston Rockets shooting free agent targets but before we do I I just want to you know emphasize here that and we we’ve had this this very conversation before but it’s important to note that this is a rocket team that kind of feels like they’ve got their top nine kind of locked in for next season barring any significant changes to the roster right their starting lineup more than likely going to be the same next year unless they make a a massive trade or kind of Swing for the fences somehow so that’s Fred Jaylen Dylan Jabari and shenon and then Off the Bench you’ve got your dynamic duo of Amen Thompson cam Whitmore the rookie Sensations tar een coming back from injury and Steven Adams also coming back from injury who are both still you know uh on track to be ready and healthy for training camp and no backs as far as their their Rehabilitation process at least that I’m aware of so how do you factor in potentially a tenth rotation guy right who are you willing to take minutes away from to be able to squeeze another guy into the Rockets rotation do you take him away from Jaylen do you take him away from Fred from am men or Cam who probably deserve even more minutes after their play in their rookie season right so it becomes a really delicate balance of trying to find the right candidate who would be willing to maybe not step into a massive role with this Rockets team more or less you want a guy that’s going to be able to step in and fill that kind of Aaron holiday or Reggie Bullock role from this past season where they’re your 10th 11th 12th guy on the roster but the flip side of that coin is it’s really tough to stomach the idea of paying 13 million a year for potentially multiple years to a guy who’s going to be racking up a lot of dnps potentially because it seems like the Rockets have a really strong 9an rotation already in place ahead of whoever they may pursue in free agency as well as the fact that again they want to get some of their impact players as many minutes as possible so with that in mind uh let’s take a look at some of these mid- tier guys so the first guy that I have here on our mid- tier list is uh Malik Beasley who just spent this past season with the Milwaukee Bucks as they’re starting two guard in the backourt with Damen Lillard and Beasley had a really solid year um he’s coming off of a $15 million deal uh he’s 27 and a half years old he shot 41.3% uh from long distance this past year averaged a little over 11 points per contest um and I think Beasley is probably a step up from a couple of the names that we talked about there in segment one uh a little bit more creation ability off the bounce a more serviceable Defender than uh Canard or or buddy hee and uh a little a little wrinkle here to consider is that uh Malik Beasley and Cen Whitmer actually share the same trainer uh Aaron Miller so there there is you know a small connection there and you know sometimes when you look at these guys you’ll start looking at okay which guys are who shares agents who shares trainers who kind of you know occupies the same Social Circles and with the reporting uh done via the athletic recently that the Rockets are interested in pursuing Malik Beasley I do wonder if there’s anything you know of note there in that connection that could potentially uh prove beneficial as far as just you know cam kind of talking up the rockets and and Malik wanted to move to a different situation obviously it’s tough to want to leave the bucks right the Bucks are still a really strong team one of the East contenders year in year out and the idea of playing alongside Giannis TMO and getting some of the easiest shots of your career is a really appealing position to be in but the Bucks are also one of the teams in salary cap hell so maybe they don’t want to resign him maybe this is a situation where unlike with Brook Lopez where the Rockets tried to uh throw their weight around with their uh with their salary cap with the money that they had last offseason pursuing Brook Lopez maybe they’re able to offer you know their non-t taxpayer mle that 13 million a year maybe that’s a little too rich for the Bucks to consider keeping Malik Beasley on at this point um now again it would be a slight pay cut if you’re Malik Beasley coming to the Houston Rockets because again the mle is a little under 13 million a year starting out but to be able to come to Houston a nice upand cominging team Oka a coach that a lot of players would love to play for um there might be enough of an Allure there to draw him away from Milwaukee especially if you give him long-term consideration that’s the other part is for a lot of these free agents right the Rockets could try to float these one year twoyear deals or one year and then a second year with like a team option or something those contracts are not as great not as appealing for some of these free agents whereas if you came in strong with a a three-year deal or a four-year deal for a guy that you think is going to age really well into that contract and have a lot of value as the NBA salary cap continues to increase then maybe it becomes a little bit more of an appeasing offer for a like Malik Beasley so that’s one of the mid-tier possibilities uh next on the mid-tier list uh Gary Trent Jr uh so Gary Trent Jr having just spent his past season uh with the Toronto Raptors uh I like Gary Trent Jr a lot I think he provides a more Dynamic kind of scoring punch rather than just being a knockdown three-point shooter which he did shoot uh 39.3% this past season from long distance averaging just under 14 points per contest he’s also a little bit younger at just 25 years old so Gary Trent Jr a name that I like a lot and he’s in a situation this is probably one of the names on the list that he’s not in a good situation right Toronto is I wouldn’t say rudderless but they are a team kind of at the bottom of the NBA scrap Heap right now as far as relevancy goes whereas the Rockets are one of the teams kind of blossoming before our eyes and hopefully looking to get back to a place of relevance as soon as this next season with you know making a playoff birth playing birth that kind of thing so Gary Tren Jr going from a bad situation to a much better situation that one that is currently on the rise could be a really appealing outcome for him and again I I just like that what he brings to the table uh as far as a more Dynamic scoring punch rather than just being a spot up three-point shooter or just a guy who can catch and shoot and not do much else with the ball like those first couple guys Canard and Buddy heeld there in segment one so I like Gary Trent Jr now he is coming off of a $17.2 million deal uh now are there any other teams out there in the NBA landscape that are going to be trying to cough up you know 15 million plus 20 million plus for guys like Malik Beasley guys like Gary Trent Jr um possibly but there’s going to be some names further up the list um you know free agents that are probably going to be slightly higher priority for teams out there like the Philadelphia 76ers who have cap space or like the Orlando Magic who also desperately need outside shooting and also have cap space to play with right they have been linked to a couple free like Klay Thompson has been linked to the Orlando Magic as a possible uh free agent landing spot for him Paul George is another one right Elite shooter still a star- level player so all these teams that do have cap space this offseason are going to do their due diligence on the top targets before they start working their way down the list but if you’re the rockets and if you’re being opportunistic while those teams are PRI you know prioritizing the upper Echelon free agents maybe you can drop one tier lower and go for some of these middle of the pack guys and be able to walk away with a guy that you feel really confident about while everybody else is duking it out for the top tier free agents at the top of the list the last guy that I have here on the mid tier uh outcome is actually Alec Burks uh with the New York Knicks now Alec Burks is a lot older than a lot of the other players kind of on this list he’s almost 33 years old uh he’s coming off the season where he shot 37 and half% from three averaging just over 10 points a game the thing about Alec Burks and you know this is important to consider when you’re thinking about all these players that we’re talking about in today’s show is how would they fit this Rocket’s identity right do they fit into an eme udoka team construct right with a defense first mentality all of that and we know that Alec Burks Alec Burks is probably uh the best or second best defender on this list of names that I have kind of compiled for us here to discuss on today’s show uh we know that he comes from a tib system right he’s not afraid of playing defense and Burks is one of those like pseudo I saw somebody say this the other day and I can’t get it out of my head is like uh I I I cannot take credit for this it’s not an original thought but somebody said something along the lines of Alec Burks is like if somebody was like designing a superstar from scratch and or somebody was trying to load a superstar from scratch and it got stuck at like 80% cuz some of the buckets that Alec Burks get some of the ways that he scores the ball is just absolutely Sensational right he can go off on a tear and single-handedly win you a game if he gets hot so that kind of player that kind of like injury insurance policy to be able to throw in the rotation a veteran who kind of understands his role and again guys that are a little bit longer in the tooth there are probably more accepting of a role where they don’t have a guaranteed spot in the rotation where maybe he could you know rack up a few dnps here there before emay calls his number for a specific matchup or if there’s a guy missing some time you know out of the main rotation that kind of thing so that’s something to consider as far as Alec Burks is concerned so we’ve got five names down on the list I’ve got two more names to go we’re going to get there in just one moment first today’s episode is brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers and final segment here at locked on Rockets where I have to apologize because as I was teasing this final segment I got my numbers wrong I’ve actually got three names for this final segment as our like high-end topend potential free agency outcomes for the Houston Rockets candidates that they should be pursuing doing this off season uh and the first name of which that I want to get to here is actually a uh should have been would have been Houston Rocket and that is actually DeAnthony Melton uh so coming off a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers he’s coming off of an $8.6 million deal he’s only 26 years old shot 36% from three averaged about 11 points per game but the thing about Melton is he’s not maybe on the same level as you know knock down lights out three-point sh as some of the other guys on this list but he is easily the best defender of this entire Bunch DeAnthony Melton would give the Rockets yet another elite point of attack Defender he would give the Rockets you know another ball handler a guy that can you know handle the rock in a pinch he’s not you know a guy that you really want being your primary table setter or anything but I do think that DeAnthony Melton is absolutely an em ooca type of player uh I think he would Thrive with this Houston Rock team and especially as we saw this past season with Jaylen green continuing to take on more of a primary initiator primary ball handler role with alperin shenon being entrusted to run more and more of the offense last season I do think that’s a it’s going to be important to be able to put pieces around those guys that can Thrive and complement those guys perfectly and DeAnthony Melton is exactly the type of guard that would compliment Jaylen green because there is a world we’re down the line Maybe Jaylen green is just the Rocket’s primary ball handle right maybe Fred Van vet does goes and does whatever after his contracts up in Houston maybe they don’t want to keep him long term who knows what the future holds there but if there is a world where Jaylen becomes the Rocket’s primary initiator you’re going to want a guard who can play off ball to him and still be a really impactful piece without needing to have the ball in his hands and that’s exactly who DeAnthony Melton is right he is a phenomenal point of attack defensive piece a lot of length great size you know he’s he’s only 6’2 but great wings span uh great ability to play Passing Lanes Elite defensive presence right add him into the lineup next to jayen Green Alper shenon right perfect complimentary piece uh question remains right what are the 76ers going to do as far as the are they going to pay him are they going to let him walk uh is he going to test the waters in free agency and see what he’s able to kind of Come Away with he’s a guy that I would easily feel comfortable about locking up longterm uh the problem is I do think he might be just out side of the Rockets kind of financial range because again they’ve only got the non- taxpayer mle to work with and I could very easily see a team willing to pay you know anywhere in that 15 to20 million range for DeAnthony Melton especially with the NBA salary cap continuing to increase over these next few years uh with the new TV rights deals and everything coming in there’s a world where the Anthony Melton could easily get 20 million plus this offseason now the Sixers are in a weird spot where they do have the ability to pursue a Max contract level free agent this offseason they’ve been linked to Paul George is one of the names they’ve been linked to Klay Thompson there’s there’s a lot of names that the Sixers have been linked to this off season they’re going to have to take care of kind of financially maneuvering with the cap space that they have to work with before coming back and resigning their own free agents to you know ballooning their contracts and and potentially going even further past their respective cap holds this off season so that’s one name to consider I really like the idea of adding DeAnthony Melton to this roster think of a more like a souped up version of Aaron holiday right Aaron holiday was really serviceable this past season for the Rockets um and especially on a vet minimum deal like insane value for Aaron holiday in fact i’ I’d go so far as say bring Aaron holiday back would be a strong move if they strike out in free agency elsewhere with kind of a a a bigger name or a better player but DeAnthony Melton would be like thinking of a lineup where you have DeAnthony Melton and amen Thompson and T een and Jabari and Dylan Brooks like an all defensive lineup out there to just shut down a team playing for Oka that would be something crazy to witness so like the idea of DeAnthony Melton here uh I’m going to get a little wacky here so you need to bear with me on this one Malik monk who is coming off of a fantastic season with the Sacramento Kings where he was arguably the Kings for stretches of their season second best player at least third best player like like behind Deen Fox and uh damont sabonis for sure but there were definitely stretches where he was the king’s second best player this past season he is getting a fat payday though uh Malik monk even I mean they were even joking about it right in like his exit press conference where dearen Fox was like I forget what little like throwaway comment he had but he was like you know get that bag or or whatever he knows that that monk is probably as good as gone and that he’s going to go get a Payday somewhere else um and the Kings probably aren’t going to be the team that gives him that payday unfortunately so I do wonder and again the Rockets don’t have the financial means to give monk a you know 20 million 25 whatever million dollar contract right out of the gate however what they could do now walk with me here rather than the Sacramento Kings losing Malik monk for absolutely nothing there could be a world where a sign in trade would be really beneficial for both teams and the piece that you could send back to the Kings could be Dylan Brooks because the Rockets are kind of already in a little bit I wouldn’t say actually yeah I’d go so far to say they’re in a little bit of a log Jam where you know at your wing spot at a minimum this next season you’ve got Dylan Brooks Jabari Smith Jr and tar een those three guys if they’re all getting 36 minutes a night that’s it that’s all minutes you have for your three wing spots right for your three sl4 spots on the court and we know that Dylan Brooks he’s got three years left on his deal and he I I feel like he served his purpose here in year one but how much time is going to go by before Rockets fans are clamoring for tar een to start over Dylan Brooks right I I’d argue that there were points last season even with tar playing on a bum leg that he was maybe more impactful than Dylan Brooks we know that internally the Rockets are you know that that tar een ranks at the top of the Rockets board as far as just player impact ratings uh and how how highly they value him he is the future heir to that what feels like that small forward spot in a Rockets Jersey so if you could have the opportunity to potentially flip Dylan Brooks into a signed and traded Malik monk where he’s making you know 20 25 million a year whatever the Kings can sign him up to and then and then move off of that contract the Kings get a very serviceable rotation piece back a starting level rotation piece back so you could either bring if you’re the Kings you could bring Dylan Brooks Off the Bench or inject him into that starting lineup now because the Sacramento Kings would be facilitating the sign and trade for the Rockets I feel like you’d have to send something of value back to the Kings to make it worth their while um they wouldn’t just do it for Dylan Brooks um at that point is it you know what else would you attach to the deal would it be enough to include a couple second round would it need to be a future first rounder like what what would you need to give a value back to Sacramento or arguably would it just be enough value to be able to give the Kings another high quality rotation player instead of losing monk for absolutely nothing who knows there it’s a little bit of a weird one I need to see what teams are are you know actively pursuing Malik monk this off season uh before kind of gauging whether the Rockets can get themselves involved in the mix there but sign and trade possibilities like that are always really interesting and again the Rockets have Dylan Brooks for the next three years and I would be utterly shocked if Dylan Brooks plays all three of those years in a Houston Rockets Jersey I do think that that’s probably the Rockets contract that is going to be most likely included in a lot of you know big- time trade scenarios as kind of the salary ballast or that’s really realistically the piece or the the I should say the position on this Rockets roster that makes the most sense to try and upgrade now this wouldn’t be a direct upgrade because you’re not going to trade Dylan Brooks and throw Malik monk into the starting lineup but what you could do is you trade Dylan Brooks for Malik monk he becomes your defacto immediate sixthman coming off the bench very similar to the role that he had in Sacramento uh but he gets the payday if Sacramento doesn’t want to keep him uh you know keep him there and then the Rockets would then be able to open up all those minutes and throw T een into the starting lineup they’d have more minutes for cam Whitmore to play on the wing and then Malik monk becomes your kind of tertiary guard behind Fred Van and Jaylen green and then that becomes your really heavy locked in guard rotation is those three guys and then cam Whitmore kind of slides up a little bit and cam Whitmore and a Min Thompson occupy those extra Wing minutes that can be split whatever’s left over after tar een and Jabari SMI Jr so something like 18 20 minutes a night for each of those guys potentially maybe a little more depending on how much Monk and and Van vet and Jaylen green are playing in a given matchup a given game so I’m really gung-ho about that one I think it has some legs to it so I’m curious your thoughts the final name that I have here before we wrap things up he’s an old fan favorite oh my Eric Gordon who I know for a fact loves Houston from the bottom of his heart like he still considers Houston home he just built a house here recently before the Rockets moved on from him uh he loves Houston he still has a really strong relationship with the Rockets front office with their Brain Trust and the situation in Phoenix is less than ideal he has a player option on his contract and I would honestly love that that would be one name that I would be really content with if the Rockets wanted to throw hell the entire mle or most of it at Eric Gordon to bring him back to Houston on you know two threeyear deal whatever so that he can ride off into the sunset and be that piece for the ride because well Eric is not a a true lights out three-point shooter he’s a high volume three-point shooter and he’s a combo guard right he can run the offense in a pinch you can play through him he is a very service not even a serviceable def he’s a good Defender right when he’s locked in and engaged EG is a fantastic Defender he’s familiar with Houston he’s familiar with the young guys on this roster he knows he’s been there through the bad times with them and him coming back and the rockets kind of like you know bringing EEG back on the fold I think would be a great like kind of coming home story for him to have been through not one not two but three different eras of Houston Rockets basketball um I feel like he’d probably be open to the idea of it especially with how uh you know precarious the situation is in Phoenix so that’s my final name to include here as a potential free agency candidate and I include it in the high-end outcome because again Eric Gordon would fit this fit this Rockets roster perfectly across the board with with his entire skill set everything he brings to the table and I think he would thrive with this current version of this Rockets team playing alongside Jaylen green Al brinch the new the new and improved the leveled up versions of these guys with the new expectations he would be a great complimentary piece next to Fred Van vet in the backourt I I think it would be it it almost makes too much sense for the Rockets to at least hit up EG’s phone and be like hey man do you want to come back to Houston I’d love to see an Eric Gordon return how would you feel about the Rockets bringing home Eric Gordon I want you let me know in the YouTube comments as always thank you so much for checking out the show if you haven’t done so yet please consider subscribing wherever you list in your podcast or on YouTube just search locked on Rockets like comment subscribe who do you think should be at the top of the Houston Rockets free agency priority list let me know in those YouTube comments which of these names we talked about on today’s show would you be most intrigued by uh again I’ve got my top end guys right there and maybe the Malik monk one is a little a little fishy but uh I had to get a little creative with one of them but let me know your your thoughts in the YouTube comments as always thank you so much for watching thank you so much for listening we look forward to having you back right here at locked on Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball [Music]

Houston Rockets Free Agent Targets & Rumors: Buddy Hield, Malik Beasley, Eric Gordon & More

Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) discusses possible Houston Rockets free agent targets, the pressing need for additional shooting on the roster, factoring in things like age, playstyle, previous contract and more when looking at possible free agents including names like Philadelphia 76ers Buddy Hield, Milwaukee Bucks Malik Beasley, and Phoenix Suns (and former Rocket) Eric Gordon and more.

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