Amick: Houston Rockets Could Look At Kyle Lowry

If the Houston Rockets fail to bring in either LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, or Chris Bosh (if he becomes a free agent), they may turn their focus to Kyle Lowry. Sam Amick (USA Today) says the Rockets could offer him a nice deal if they miss on other big-name free agents.

"According to two people with knowledge of the situation, the Houston Rockets — whom Lowry played for from 2009 to 2012 — are one of those teams. While Rockets general manager Daryl Morey will woo free agents like James, Anthony and Heat center Chris Bosh (if he opts out of his deal), he also will pursue Lowry if those initial options are no longer in play. It would be quite the full-circle kind of story, as the Rockets’ decision to trade Lowry to the Raptors in July 2012 played a vital part in their eventual acquisition of shooting guard James Harden just a few months later (the Oklahoma City Thunder received the lottery-protected first-round pick Houston had received from Toronto in that Oct. 2012 deal)."

Amick continues:

"As for the Rockets, they plan to trade point guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik as a way of clearing the sort of salary cap space that’s needed to make moves such as these. The obvious takeaway as it relates to Lowry, of course, is that they’re clearly looking for an upgrade over Lin at the point guard position."

This report isn’t surprising considering the Rockets reportedly made a run at Lowry at this past season’s deadline.

Though Lowry and coach Kevin McHale had a rocky relationship in the past, Lowry admitted earlier this season that he wishes things were different.

"“I would have done things differently in Houston,” Lowry says. “I really respected Kevin McHale. I wish I would have had an opportunity to play for him longer. The things he was teaching me, well, I didn’t understand right away. When you get away from someone, though, see it from the outside looking in, you go back and think, ‘Damn, I could’ve learned some more things from the guy.’“I wanted to stay with Coach Adelman and needed to get over that. [McHale] came in with a different philosophy, and I wish I could’ve adapted to it quicker.”"

If the Rockets do try and bring back Lowry, McHale and Lowry’s relationship problems should be a thing of the past.