With the post All-Star break portion of the Rockets schedule slated to begin Friday night in Orlando, let's get ready for the final 24 games of the season by opening up the Rockets mailbag.
Which free agents do you think the Rockets should pursue? I'm thinking Mo Bamba (RFA), Jalen Smith (UFA), Nic Claxton (RFA), or Mitchell Robinson (UFA). ---Arden Y.
I must come clean; I really haven't given any thought to what the Rockets may end up doing in free agency this summer. I think it's really difficult to predict what a team in their position will be looking for. Daniel Theis was nowhere near my radar at this time last year, but he was the guy they splurged on.
That said, I don't expect the Rockets to be big players in free agency for multiple reasons. The first is they have 12 players already under contract for next season, not including John Wall, and the only rotation player set to hit the market after the season is Dennis Schröder. The Rockets are also scheduled to make two first round picks in the upcoming draft. They can always and will likely trade a vet or two, but there won't be a lot of available minutes. The Rockets are also without cap space, though they will have their full mid-level exception, which can net a significant player.
The names you mentioned would make sense because the Rockets will likely be in the market for someone to soak up 15-20 minutes at center next season (more on that later), but I wouldn't be looking to shell out a big chunk of my MLE to any. I'd prefer them to sign a veteran wing instead. That's the one area the team neglected with its four picks in last year's draft, and it's hard to see them taking a wing with their lottery pick in this draft (more on that later).
How likely is a Christian Wood trade in the offseason? --- David M.
I expect the Rockets to trade Wood this summer, and I think they would have done so if the right offer had come across before the deadline. He just hasn't taken the step forward that I think the team wanted to see, and frankly, I believe team officials would say Wood's season has been a disappointment.
By hanging onto Wood at the deadline the Rockets give themselves more possible trade partners this summer, and they also get another couple of months to see how Alperen Sengun looks next to a player with Wood's skillset, which matters when you look at the players expected to be at the top of everyone's draft board.
While we're at it, here's a fun trade possibility for Wood this summer: Phoenix. If the Suns decide they don't want to pay Deandre Ayton, which would put them way over the luxury tax, the Rockets can offer up Wood, and take back Dario Saric along with other pieces to keep the Suns balance sheet a little more manageable. The Suns control all of their first round picks after giving their 2022 first rounder to Oklahoma City.
The two first round draft picks coming up, who would the Rocket want to pick at both positions? ---Mark C.
Judging by where they are at in their rebuild and their organizational philosophy, I'd expect the Rockets to stay true to their board and draft the best player available when they're on the clock. I asked Rafael Stone after last year's lottery if the players already on their roster would impact how they approached their upcoming three picks:
"I think the answer is not really very much. I think if you're a great basketball player you can play with other great basketball players, and people just find a way to make it work. In my experience, it often ends up being the case that the truly great players enhance one another, play better off one another, enjoy one another. I don't terribly worry about positionality. I think we've been more position-less than most, and it seems like that's likely to continue on for the foreseeable future."
It is hard for me to think Stone will move off that stance a year later. At this point the goal is to collect as many good basketball players as possible and figure things out from there.
What's your read on Usman Garuba? Do you think the Rockets are still as high on him as they were at the draft? And what does his integration into the line-up look like next year in your opinion? --- Andy B.
Rafael Stone called Garuba "the defender in the world not currently playing in the NBA" right after drafting him 23rd in last year's draft, but they expected him to be a project, and that's what he is. He entered the season with Christian Wood, Daniel Theis, and Alperen Sengun ahead of him on the depth chart, so the expectation was that he'd spend almost the entire season getting reps in the G-League, where he unfortunately got hurt. His numbers won't jump off the page, but the team was happy with the way Garuba was improving.
Garuba is four weeks removed from a surgery that is expected to keep him off the floor for six-to-eight weeks, so he should be able to get back on the floor for the end of the G-League season, but more importantly, he'll have the entire summer to work on his game, and he'll see plenty of action in summer league before the start of training camp in the fall. Whether or not he has a role on next year's team is up to him, but the team really likes his work ethic.
Rockets G-League coaches have been very successful in the NBA, so is it possible Mahmoud Abdelfattah takes over if Stephen Silas is fired after the season? --- Marty M.
Stephen Silas isn't getting fired after the season. It's not happening. He will be the Rockets head coach when training camp starts in September. Lock that in, but he's going to need to start winning some games, and while the Rockets have had G League coaches move on to become excellent NBA head coaches, but they didn't just jump into that chair. Nick Nurse spent five seasons as a Raptors assistant before moving into the big seat, while Chris Finch was an NBA assistant for four teams over decade before getting his chance in Minnesota.
Abdelfattah is thought of very highly within the Rockets organization, but you're not jumping from G League head coach straight to NBA head coach if you don't have any NBA playing or coaching experience, which is the case with him. Abdelfattah could certainly be an NBA head coach one day, but next step for him will be to join an NBA coaching staff, and he would be at the top of the list if the Rockets have an opening on Silas' staff.
