Houston Rockets Lock Down Patrick Beverley & Corey Brewer

Jan 30, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13), guard Corey Brewer (33) and guard Patrick Beverley (2) celebrate against the Boston Celtics during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets Lock Down Patrick Beverley & Corey Brewer

It took three days, but finally the Houston Rockets have joined free agency activity and did so by locking down two key existing players in Patrick Beverley and Corey Brewer.

The Rockets needed to address the back court with only Pablo Prigioni currently locked in to their existing 2015-2016 roster. Beverley’s deal is reported to be for 4 years at $23 million. As per Marc Stein the deal is said to be for $18 million guaranteed through the first three years with the final fourth year being for $5 million and unguaranteed. While Beverley isn’t known for his offensive prowess he’s been the perfect yin to James Harden’s yang given how aggressively he defends.

Patrick Beverley's deal in Houston: Sources say it's $18 million guaranteed over first three seasons and $5 million unguaranteed in Year 4

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 3, 2015

UPDATE: Notably, Adrian Wojnarowski has Beverley’s deal at $2 million more ($25M)

Patrick Beverley has agreed to a four-year, $25M deal to return to Houston, agent Kevin Bradbury tells Yahoo Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 3, 2015

Beverley’s contributed 10.1 points, 3.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and shot 35.6% from behind the arc while being a pesky defender nightly on opposing back courts.

The Rockets had been quiet through the first three days of free agency and it appears Sacramento was aggressively pursuing him as well as Brewer.

Patrick Beverley confirms that he was in advanced talks with Sacramento, but then ultimately agreed to the deal with the Rockets.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 3, 2015

Many have discussed the possibility of General Manager Daryl Morey upgrading the starting point guard position, however with Beverley finally locked in he now has the flexibility to decide if the team needs a starter or an upgrade off the bench.

Glad to be back. Mama we made it!!!!! https://t.co/xTYRXUucpJ

— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) July 3, 2015

Moving into next season Beverley should work on his fundamental skills of dribbling (though he did win this year’s All Star skills challenge facing some of the best point guards in the Association). He should also work on his improving his perimeter shot since he’ll get lots of looks playing beside his franchise star court mate James Harden.

Corey Brewer had a few teams offering deals and as it turns out he actually had better offers but chose to return to Houston as many expected.

Brewer was a key contributor after joining Houston in late December and was a consistently energetic contributor off the bench. His season stats were: 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals.

However it was his contribution in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semi Finals beside hand band brother Josh Smith that spurred the Rockets back from a 19 point deficit to overtake the Clippers. Arguably the best come back in Rockets history, Brewer will forever be cemented to that monumental comeback with his fourth quarter performance and game stats of 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals.

Like his fellow Rocket, Brewer was aggressively pursued by the Sacramento Kings who he reportedly broke off negotiations with so he could return to his preferred existing team. Brewer had always indicated he wanted to return to complete what the team began this season.

Sources say Kings/Brewer talks actually broke off BEFORE serious offer stage. Brewer then re-engaged w/Rockets, where he wanted to be along

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 3, 2015

The deal is said to be for $23 million over three years.

Corey Brewer on agreement with the Rockets: "I'm happy, so happy. Just glad to be a Rocket." And how typical of Corey Brewer is that quote?

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 3, 2015

While Brewer had several teams interested in retaining his services he said coach Kevin McHale kept in constant touch with him during the free agency process making sure Brewer knew the team wanted him back.

There’s a long history between Brewer and McHale who drafted him as General Manager of the Timberwolves.

Brewer cited the possibility of winning a championship with his current squad as a strong force for him to return

Next year he’ll get the benefit of a full training camp with the Rockets and hopefully come playoff time he’ll have a healthy Patrick Beverley joining him and the team as they attempt to get further and the primary goal being to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.

This season Brewer was a key component of the Rockets post season success posting 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

We at Space City Scoop welcome back two of our favorite energy players and wish them both a successful and healthy 2015 – 2016 season.

Next up the Rockets will need to hear back on LaMarcus Aldridge’s decision and there is still a matter of resolving the Josh Smith situation. My thinking is they’ll wait for Aldridge to make his choice prior to finalizing Smith as they probably need to wait on that decision specifically due to funding and cap space. Based on what we’ve heard so far, although Aldridge said he was very impressed with the Rockets recruitment pitch it sounds like he is leaning toward either the Spurs or the Suns.

UPDATE: Again: as per Adrian Wojnarowski, my suspicions the Rockets were holding off on Smith prove accurate as Rockets are hoping the signing of Beverley and more specifically Brewer will aid in the recruitment of Aldridge:

Rockets still keep flexibility in LaMarcus Aldridge pursuit, via S-and-T scenarios. Houston hopes Brewer deal strengthens case w/ Aldridge.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 3, 2015

Now that the Rockets have finally locked in some of their players for next season, perhaps this is just the beginning of their free agency efforts.

Make sure to stay with us at Space City Scoop for all your daily Rockets news and updates on free agency.

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