Houston Rockets Targets: Love, Lawson or LaMarcus
By Bryson Jones
The NBA season is over, the Larry O’ Brien trophy has been hoisted, and it is time for another highly anticipated NBA offseason. Last year at this time the Houston Rockets had a lot of objectives and high hopes going into the offseason. When it did not pan out the way they hoped, many looked at the team as offseason losers.
This offseason, however, things look to be on the upswing as the Rockets are now potentially a piece away from a not only being in the NBA finals, but having the chance to hoist the trophy as well.
Like there is seemingly every year, the marquee names for the Rockets happen to be Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers) and Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers). All player’s seasons not ending the way that they had hoped, and now the Rockets are looking to make their move.
With Kevin Love looking to opt out, LaMarcus Aldridge practically announcing his free agency in the middle of a playoff series, and Ty Lawson on the trading block, the Rockets are in prime position to land one of these players. The Rockets star shooting guard James Harden has openly lobbied for the Rockets to go after a point guard that can not only score for himself, but give Harden help creating for others in the back court. Houston’s point guard Patrick Beverley is also looking for a new deal, but in all likelihood played his last game with the team in a regular season game in Indiana.
A lot of things (much like last off-season) have to go the Rockets way in order for them to land any one of these marquee players. They can land Aldridge in a potential sign-and-trade deal. (Something that may involve the likes Terrence Jones, Trevor Ariza, Kostas Papanikolaou, Donatas Motiejunas and the Rockets 18th pick in some sort of package).
There are also thoughts out there that the Rockets could send Jones and the 18th pick to Denver for Ty Lawson which does not seem to be enough looking at that deal for the Nuggets to move Lawson.
And then we also have the possibility of the Rockets landing power forward Kevin Love. We know Kevin McHale and Love are close, since McHale was the one that drafted him. Love would be an ideal fit in Houston if he were to choose to leave the Cavaliers.
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The Rockets have quite a few things to manage and obtain this upcoming offseason. The first thing on their checklist should be to make sure that the players already on the team with expiring contracts (Corey Brewer & Josh Smith) get taken care of before any other moves for outside players are made.
With the Rockets potentially being one piece away from a championship, Harden a few years away from his prime, Howard exiting out of his prime, and the Western Conference getting tougher and tougher each season, it’s NOW win-now mode. The time to worry about cap flexibility, draft picks and collecting assets is over and it’s time to win a championship next season.
Daryl Morey… You are on the clock.
Stick with us here at House of Houston for all your Rockets off-season coverage.
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