With upward of $60 million in space beneath the NBA’s 2023-24 salary cap, along with a trade exception to use as well, the Houston Rockets are a key domino entering 2023 free agency. Coming off a 22-60 season, the young and rebuilding club certainly has needs at positions up and down its roster.
So, who are general manager Rafael Stone and new head coach Ime Udoka likely to target once free agency agreements can be reached starting at 5 p.m. Central on Friday, June 30?
At Monday’s introductory press conference for newly drafted rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, Udoka said he’d like to have some “professional and mature adults in the room” by adding players who have playing in championships and other high-level NBA situations.
The idea, of course, is to supplement Houston’s burgeoning young core with the type of veterans who could help bolster their individual and collective development in 2023-24 and future seasons.
Could Toronto guard Fred VanVleet and Memphis wing Dillon Brooks fit that criteria? According to veteran NBA scribe Marc Stein, they might. As of Tuesday, here’s a roundup of what’s being said and reported regarding the Rockets and Friday’s opening of free agency.