The Rockets have been COOKING 🔥 Perk reacts to Finney-Smith to Houston | SportsCenter

The Rockets have been COOKING 🔥 Perk reacts to Finney-Smith to Houston | SportsCenter

of course the defending champs the Thunder they head into next season as the overwhelming favorite to take the West but the big story so far this summer Houston next in line after adding Kevin Durant the top three seeds from this season have the three shortest odds to win the conference next season and we got some more breaking news as free agency underway this hour in the NBA sham Shirani our insider reporting that forward Dorian Finny Smith is leaving the Lakers for the Rockets he gets a 4-year $53 million deal another move for Houston adding a veteran nba champ Kendrick Perkins joins us now and K perk so the Rockets add another big piece here to the roster with veteran experience how much are the Rockets a contender going into next season hey Raphael Stone got me thinking about going to his house on holidays cuz damn it he been cooking especially this off season he’s been cooking the war the the the the Rockets are the biggest winners right now when you look at what they’ve done this off season especially getting Kevin Durant right in the trade being able to keep their primary pieces when you talk about Afro Shangon Aman Thompson uh you know uh resigning Fred Van Vleet they have everything and more to compete for NBA championship it’s OKC and then it’s the Houston Rockets those are the top two teams in the league and when you think about what they have in Steven Adams coming in off the bench they have one of the best coaches in Eay Udoka and then they just signed Dorian Finny Smith right just signed him the most important position in the NBA the wing position and you get another 3 and D guy to go alongside Aean Thompson and Trey Een oklahoma City just laid the blueprint on what you need we was there Kev
you and I was there you was standing on the box but we saw everything
why you got to bring that up i’m feeling good now cuz we’re level level cuz I’m sitting down and you’re sitting down right all right let’s uh let’s get level here specifically about the Lakers all right uh because I notice on this graphic I don’t see the Lakers NBA title odds here i don’t see them in the top five lebron’s agent Rich Paul made it clear that the four-time champ wants to compete for another ring after he opted into his final year in LA who do you believe is going to help them on a possible title run in a jam-packed Western Conference well well now they got two issues they got to address the wing position right because they just lost Finny Smith
and and also the center position i believe they got to get the center uh point right first because it’s not about LeBron it’s about Luca luca needs a dynamic roller a live threat at the basket and I feel like that guy is the Andre Aton i don’t feel like it’s Brook Lopez i’m not taking anything away from him but when you talk about the athleticism when you talk about a guy that’s going to rebound at a high level he has the ability to pick and pop pick and roll that’s what they need and so when you look at where DeAndre Aiden is at yes some may question his love for the game at times some may question his work ethic but you put him in a locker room with the likes of LeBron James who has done it at the highest level far as being a professional and taking care of his body i think the Lakers need to go out and get DeAndre Aton he’s the best fit at the center position for starters and free agency is underway lebron James watching closely he opted in to the last year of his Lakers contract for $52.6 million but his agent Rich Paul said LeBron wants to win now and will be evaluating his future that created some confusion around the league to help sort things out senior NBA reporter Brian Winhorse joins us now uh Wendy we haven’t heard from the Lakers yet on LeBron’s decision to opt in what makes this situation different from years past well this is unusual because by the way it’s good news the Lakers also want to win now so everybody should be getting along um I would say that LeBron has signed nine contracts in his career it’s been a long career Kevin and the last eight of them have had a player option in them of some form and he has taken none of them he has never used his player option because he’s always become a free agent and either left which he did three times or he’s gotten a new contract which he’s done with the Lakers two different times so this situation is truly unique the other thing that’s unique for the first time in his 23-year career he is not the franchise player that is Luca Donuch and so as a 40-year-old all-star AllNBA player but non-franchise player realities are a little bit different and LeBron seems to be adjusting to that which is what Rich Paul’s comments seem to indicate and obviously leaves the door open for something else what is that something else i guess we’re going to have to wait and see
okay why would he do that he said he wants to compete for a championship they also have new ownership that is no doubt they want to win what do the Lakers need to focus on during free agency for a shot at a title run here with LeBron and Luca in this window
well they’ve absolutely got to get a center they they really didn’t have a starting level center after they traded for Luca last year and so that’ll be their priority starting now the Lakers have a number of guys on their on their focus brook Lopez is probably near the top of the list he’s been a standout for a long time in Milwaukee he isn’t the perfect match with Luca Donuch but he can do a lot of things stretch the floor defend the rim clint by the way I think they might sign even two centers before this week is out clint Capella who has been in Atlanta and Houston is an option and look DeAndre Aton was bought out yesterday by the Portland Trailblazers a lastminute addition to the free agency situation he is I’m sure on the Lakers board as well

Kendrick Perkins joins SportsCenter to discuss the Houston Rockets’ chances of contending in the Western Conference after agreeing with Dorian Finney-Smith on a 4-year deal worth $53 million. Brian Windhorst then joins to discuss the significance of LeBron James opting in to a one-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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