As Tyus Jones joins the Denver Nuggets, the chorus of boos grows louder.

Houston Rockets fans wanted him. It made some intuitive sense. Jones’ best NBA seasons have seen him marry passing volume with a low turnover rate in a way that, frankly, only Fred VanVleet really does. So why wouldn’t Rafael Stone want him as a VanVleet replacement?

Well, he’s not particularly…good? Yes, Jones is a steady game manager, but his total inability to create his own shot and his diminutive size have contributed to a -2.2 Box Plus/Minus (BPM) this year. Signing him to make entry passes to Alperen Sengun and not turn the ball over for a few minutes per game would have been defensible, but sticking with JD Davidson is probably even better.

So, it seems like another quiet transactional season for Rafael Stone. This summer may be the same. The Rockets have consistently signalled that they want to see this young core, plus Kevin Durant, alongside Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams. Still, they may look to make some low-cost signings in free agency.

Here are players they should take a look at.

Dante Exum, G/F

In theory, Exum is the perfect free agent signing.

Ime Udoka won’t play negative defenders? No worries. Exum has always been a good defender.

The Rockets need some ball-handling? Exum was drafted as a point guard. In 2020-21, Cleveland gave him 52% of his minutes at the 3, but most recently, the Mavericks moved him back to the 1.

Shooting? How about 49.1% from deep in 2023-24 and 43.4% in 2024-25? Name an ability that isn’t “be a star”, and Exum has it. This year..

Wait, Exum hasn’t played this year.

He barely played last year. Exum may retire before he has a chance to suit up for the Rockets (again, technically). That said, if he is ready to suit up in 2026-27, the Rockets should give him a chance on a veteran’s minimum.

Svi Mykhailiuk, G/F

On the subject of Udoka and negative defenders…

It may be time to loosen up. One negative-ish defender is not going to sink the team’s entire gameplan. Moreover, if that single negative defender is a knockdown movement shooter from three-point range, it could unlock a lot of options in the offensive gameplan.

If that matters to Ime Udoka in the slightest.

Mykhailiuk isn’t known for locking up opponents, but he is 6’7″. Playing him at the 2 allows Udoka to preserve his highly valued positional size advantage, and with some coaching in that department, who knows? Mykhailiuk could at least meet Houston’s (high) minimum defensive standard.

Matisse Thybulle, G/F

That said, if Udoka insists…

Thybulle is one of the best defenders in basketball.

Reputation has a way of outpacing reality. You may be thinking, “another non-shooter?” Think again. Thybulle is hitting 41.8% of his threes over his last four seasons.

Granted, in those four seasons, he’s played about a season’s worth of games. That’s the issue with Thybulle. His body consistently fails him.

That’s why he might be available at a veteran’s minimum. The Rockets don’t have the money for a can’t-miss signing. If they plan on making roster additions this summer, they’re going to be players who are available for a reason. If they can get a healthy year out of Thybulle, he could be one of the best contracts in the NBA.

Ariel Hukporti, C

This one may be a bit out of left field. If you’re thinking “another big?”, there’s a bit more merit in your thought process this time.

That said, Udoka clearly likes 5s. He wants to be able to play double big lineups, and he likes having a variety of bigs. Sure, the Rockets could cycle through veterans, but why not try to target Alperen Sengun’s long-term backup?

Hukporti’s 11.8% Offensive Rebounding % would rank 11th in the NBA if he’d played enough to qualify. He’s a stout rim protector. Hukporti hasn’t shown much on the offensive end, but he does the stuff the Rockets seem to want in a backup big.

Three cheers for signing him this summer?

The Houston Rockets’ final opportunity to add an external contributor comes by way of the buyout market, which is currently underway. 

(Well, quality contributors who haven’t been unrestricted free agents all season, that is.)

The deadline for teams to waive players was Sunday, March 1. Will the Rockets be active? 

We’d heard a significant amount of chatter regarding the Rockets’ presumed position as buyers on the trade market and….well…that didn’t quite materialize.

Houston was the least bit active.

Will the buyout market shape up any differently, for Houston’s brass? Well, it depends on the candidates.

Lonzo Ball? Nah, he’s likely washed.

Khris Middleton? He’d provide value, for sure. But he didn’t hit the market. 

Is Houston in most need of a wing scorer, anyways? 

It’s definitely a need. Especially with injuries mounting at that spot.

Tari Eason has been playing through an ankle injury, Jabari Smith Jr. just had an ankle injury and Amen Thompson seemed to suffer an injury of his own to his lower extremities.

And Josh Okogie has fallen out of the lineup, and Jae’Sean Tate is also injured. 

Would Eric Gordon make sense? He’s been available for weeks, so we would’ve already seen or heard something. 

The team clearly passed on Chris Paul, prompting retirement. 

Josh Christopher? Been there, done that, literally in Houston’s case. 

Kevon Looney would be great (maybe?) but the New Orleans Pelicans didn’t buy him out. Chris Boucher could be a good addition (maybe?) but would Ime Udoka play him?

He’d kind of have to, for one, because Clint Capela can’t be expected to soak up all of the reserve center minutes every night. He’s in year 12.

Udoka seems to trust veterans, anyways. So Boucher would be his type of player. 

But would Houston be getting this year’s version of him? Eight points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes, on 32 percent from the field, 13 percent from deep, and 36 percent effective shooting leaves alot to be desired.

Even last year’s version as a 32-year-old was valuable. 10 points, 4.5 rebounds (1.4 offensive), .5 blocks, 49.2 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from deep (3.9 attempts), 61.5 percent true shooting and 58.6 percent effective. 

Houston could use that.

If getting that version. 

So that leaves just two potential names in Gordon and Boucher. So basically it all comes down to Boucher.

Which probably means Houston won’t be active on the buyout market either.

The NBA free-agency moratorium begins tonight at 6:00 PM EST, and now that on the heels of the Kevin Durant trade, Fred VanVleet has agreed to terms on a two-year $50 million contract with Houston Rockets, keeping them beneath the second apron, and among other flexibilities, they will have the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception of approximately $14.1 million available to continue improving the roster if they choose to use it. I’ve compiled a list of players that would fit perfectly with the needs of the Rockets at a price they can afford.

Gary Trent Jr.

An elite catch-and-shoot threat and solid defender, Gary Trent Jr. would be a dream come true for a Rockets squad that struggled mightily with field-goal percentage. Last season as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Trent Jr. averaged 41.6 percent from the three-point line on 5.9 attempts per game. The addition of Kevin Durant to the roster is sure to free up looks for everyone on the roster, and with Gary Trent’s ability to knock down open shots and create his own shots when needed, Rockets fans would have a possible new fan favorite on their hands. The only downside to this wish is that for all the above reasons, the Bucks will likely be pushing hard to bring him back to play with Giannis.

Dorian Finney-Smith

Some of you may recall Finney-Smith was on my list of mid-season trade targets for the Rockets at the approach of last season’s trade deadline. When that trade didn’t happen, the Rockets went the rest of the season lacking his very specific skill set. By all appearances, they may not be making that mistake twice. According to Jake Fischer the Houston Rockets have emerged as a viable free agent landing spot for Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith has declined his $15.4 million player option to return to the Lakers.

The Rockets can offer him the full $14.1 million MLE. Finney-Smith is a 36 percent career three-point shooter but shot 41.1 percent last season. In 23 games with the Brooklyn Nets, he shot 43.5 percent from three. Defensively Finney-Smith can guard 1 through 4, which would make him a perfect fit with the Rockets, whose strength has been defense and depth, and weakness has been shooting.

Spencer Dinwiddie

Dinwiddie is not an elite three-point shooter, but at 6’5”, he is an above-average playmaker and is a serviceable scorer, averaging 13 points-per-game for his career on 41.4 percent shooting including 33.3 from three. He figures as a player who can improve floor spacing for Durant and Sengun and could handle playmaking when Fred is on the bench, allowing Amen Thompson to thrive in the dunker spot. Another reason to consider Dinwiddie may draw interest from the Rockets is his familiarity with Ime Udoka and Kevin Durant during his time with the Brooklyn Nets.

Honorable Mentions

Other considerations the Rockets might do well to explore include Luke Kennard, Malik Beasley (although he is recently being investigated for gambling on NBA games) Caleb Martin, and Royce O’Neale, all of which can be had for a portion if not all of the mid-level exemption.

The Rockets have become instant contenders with the acquisition of Kevin Durant, but need solid shooting depth with at minimum the ability to thrive in the team’s defensive concepts. Any one of these players will make the Rockets a true championship hopeful when combined with a roster that just might be one piece away.

The Houston Rockets aren’t a finished product by any means, but as the dawn of free agency has arrived, we pretty much know what the 15-man roster will look like come the start of the 2024-25 season.

After exercising a team option on the last year of Jae’Sean Tate’s contract, Houston is up to 12 players secured and that number will likely be 14 once they do the same with Jeff Green and Jock Landale. The summer has swirled with many trade rumors, but for now, it looks like Houston will be running it back for the most part.

Tate and Landale may not be longterm fixtures for Houston, but for the present, Houston plans to retain their contracts as they will give the Rockets more flexibility down the road should a significant trade become viable.

As it stands, here is the Rockets’ roster:

Center: Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams and Landale.

Forward: Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, Green and Tate.

Guards: Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, AJ Griffin and Amen Thompson.

It can be argued whether Thompson is truly a guard at this point, but that role figures to be what he will slide into down the road.

Houston has a couple of options when it comes to the 15th roster spot. One option is that they can always leave it open and maintain some wiggle room. However, we’ll look at some options should they choose to fill that spot.

The Rockets won’t go on a spending spree this summer and while they may be over the cap, they’re still under the luxury tax meaning they can offer a nearly $13 million mid-level exception.

One familiar face that could fit into that exception is Aaron Holiday, who exceeded expectations for us last year. It may be the easiest solution, but then again, he could have a more lucrative offer elsewhere after his performance in ‘23-24.

Another option is someone vaulting from the Rockets’ Summer League roster, but without the team finalized yet, and with no games played to evaluate, I don’t think that’s a realistic option to explore at this moment.

Some external pieces that I wouldn’t mind adding are Haywood Highsmith, Mo Bamba, and Delon Wright.

Highsmith has proved himself to be a rangy defender, capable of making an open shot for the Miami Heat over the past few seasons, and I think he could find himself a role in the Rockets rotation through sheer grit and determination. He seems like an Ime guy.

Bamba never lived up to the expectations of being a sixth overall pick, but I’d be happy with a guy that shoots 39 percent from three and pitches in a block per game as far as third/fourth centers on the depth chart go.

I also wouldn’t mind carrying another vet like Wright that can run an offense every now and then. Outside of VanVleet, Sheppard and Thompson, Houston doesn’t have another guy that I’d be comfortable bringing the ball up court for large stretches. Jalen Green is capable, but Wright is more refined as a point guard than him.

I have one last “why not” suggestion and it’s James Wiseman. Why not? I know he’s uncoordinated and any hope that he will blossom into what he was once prophesied as is an aberration, but I’d be willing to take a chance on high-pedigree guys whenever I could as long as the price wasn’t too high. Just some food for thought?

How about y’all? Are there any other low-key players in free agency that have come onto your radar?

UPDATE:

Well, that’s that.