Houston Rockets: Free Agent Signings Could be Pivotal to Developing Young Core

Houston entered the off-season with around $60 million in cap space, far and away the most in the league. And with free agency beginning in just a few short days, they’re likely to sign shiny new players to the roster that are sure to bolster the team.

There’s been a plethora of names on the table for Houston over the last few weeks: Cam Johnson, Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Kuzma, Kris Middleton, Austin Reaves and more. Some of which are legitimate targets, and others that are likely using the team’s money to drive up their own asking price.

Veterans are a much-needed commodity in the NBA, and especially so for the budding Houston Rockets, who need some veteran leadership after several less-than-ideal seasons in a row. But signing the right players is going to be pivotal to the team’s internal development of stars ,or potential stars, like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun and new draftees Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

Perhaps the smokiest rumor likely to have real fire behind it is VanVleet, who reportedly could be ready to take around $40 million a year for the next two seasons in Houston. The 29-year-old’s presence and experience would be welcome in the backcourt, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t cause issues with the current configuration.

Thompson, the team’s recent No. 4 selection, is going to need minutes to figure the NBA out. In signing VanVleet, the Rockets could potentially relegate him to the bench or an off-ball role, neither of which is necessarily ideal for his development as a point guard in the NBA.

Suffice to say, a point guard signing doesn’t make the most sense from our perspective for Houston. In the least, they could sign a savvy veteran to a smaller contract to fill the backup role and teach Thompson some winning ways. Derrick Rose, Cory Joseph and Ish Smith all fit that mold.

Signing one of those options would also allow Houston to grab a free agent target who won’t cut directly into developmental minutes. Johnson and Kuzma, lengthy scorers who would be free and willing to get shots up as they please while helping the flow of the offense, could be viable options.

There’s no real losing for Houston in this situation. They’ll be adding solid NBA players to their growing and talented core. But they’re going to have to be cognizant of how signings will affect the organization longterm, or they could find themselves in deep water sooner than later.

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