After missing out on all the biggest prizes in the NBA Draft this year, the Houston Rockets are done waiting to the lottery balls to fall their way. As teams across the league prepare for free agency, the Rockets have already identified several key targets to pair with their star-studded young cast.
Among other players, the Rockets are considering a run at two key Lakers players: Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. As reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, there is a world where the Rockets end up with both players on their roster.
“Equipped with so much spending power, the most in the NBA, and a coach, Ime Udoka, that is popular among NBA players, the Rockets have not prioritized specific targets as much as a pool of players to pursue. According to a person with knowledge of their thinking, they have interest in the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, the [Brooklyn] Nets’ Cam Johnson, the [Golden State] Warriors’ Donte DiVincenzo, the [Memphis] Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks, the [Toronto] Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl and the [Dallas] Mavericks’ Dwight Powell. Media reports have tied them to James Harden and Fred VanVleet.”
The Rockets have been tied to many players over the past few weeks, and it’s no secret that they have ambitions to compete after years of losing. Rui, who the Lakers acquired in a midseason trade, found himself out of the rotation before he showed his worth in the playoffs as a valuable wing defender and capable shot-maker.
Meanwhile, for Reaves, he will be seeing a massive pay raise following a career year with averages of 13 points, 3.4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game on 52.9% shooting.
Will The Lakers Keep Austin Reaves?
We know it’s unlikely that the Lakers will keep their entire team intact, but Rob Pelinka has made it a point to stress the importance of re-signing Austin Reaves. As a restricted free agent, hell be able to sign anywhere but the Lakers have the right to match any contract he signs.
At the very least, the Rockets will step up with an offer even if the Lakers rush to match it right away.
“The Lakers are going to match any contract offer sheet that he signs up to that $100 million,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on the HoopsHype podcast. “The Lakers view him as the third-best player on this team if you look at the regular season and postseason he had. He stepped up big time and was basically an 18-5-5 guy with near 50-40-90 shooting splits as a starter for them.”
Only time will tell how things play out in Houston this summer, but things are sure to get interesting as the big day draws near. If the Lakers aren’t careful, they could lose two vital pieces of their core.
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