Should Houston Rockets Bring Back Veterans Josh Smith & Jason Terry?

Assuming the Houston Rockets pickup their option to sign their second-round draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft (Montrezl Harrell), the move would cap their 15-man roster without bringing back veterans Jason Terry and Josh Smith.

I would think they’d like to bring back both for the right price, and that would mean someone on the projected roster below would have to go.

PG Beverley/Prigioni

SG Harden/Brewer

SF Ariza/Papanikolaou/McDaniels

PF Motiejunas/Jones

C Howard/Capela/Dorsey

Prospects: Nick Johnson (PG/SG), Sam Dekker (SF), Montrezl Harrell (PF)

Who goes and who stays?

Also, if the Rockets decide to ship someone out so they can shop for FA’s outside of Houston, which FA’s would you be interested in seeing in a Rockets uniform next season?https://spacecityscoop.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=41196&action=edit

I would think they’re looking to upgrade their reserve point-guard or find one that takes Beverley’s spot. Personally, I’d give Beverley the nod at the starting spot because he’s been your guy so far, but an upgrade would just add to their existing depth overall.

The other position I’d address is the power-forward.

Nothing against the rookie Harrell, but you want a veteran leader to help teach their power forwards the ins-and-outs of the of game. While Motiejunas seems quite mature for his age (24-years-old), he could definitely benefit from being around a veteran to help them get better.

If not a veteran, at least someone who can really give him competition for the starting spot.

Terrence Jones has put in a lot of work in the past couple years, but I’d like to keep their bench the way they are if possible to maintain their depth.

I’ll just throw some names out there to get some ideas flowing.

GUARDS AVAILABLE

J.J. Barea – A point-guard that’s made a living in the NBA as a part of the bench mob, he’s got some championship experience. He’d be an upgrade for the reserve point guard role over Prigioni.

Aaron Brooks – Remember him? He’d be an exciting catalyst to bring off the bench. The question is do Rockets fans want to see an old face again (i.e., Brooks, Jeremy Lin, or anyone that’s played in Houston before)

Rodney Stuckey – Notoriously known as being a decent but not a standout point-guard in this league his whole career, I would say he’s a safe enough pick to make him your reserve point-guard. He’s good enough that if Beverley were to get injured (heaven forbid), Stuckey could fill in and do a decent job of keeping the team afloat.

FORWARD/CENTERS AVAILABLE

Joel Anthony – A veteran with championship experience playing for legendary Pat Riley’s Miami Heat. A rim-protector and rebounder, passed his prime, but can be a decent defender coming off the bench.

Darrell Arthur – Still young at 27-years of age, would serve a similar role as F/C’s Motiejunas and Jones.

Amar’e Stoudemire – If he can come at a cheap price, why not? It’d be a gamble with his health issues and not being the same player he once was, but perhaps the Houston weather could help his knees?

And as I mentioned earlier, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to consider bringing back Smith and Terry.

Josh Smith – The Rockets took a chance on him last year, and it paid off. He’s good enough that he would likely soak up a lot of minutes for the Rockets.

Jason Terry – The man continues to show he’s still got something in the tank. The savvy veteran swingman played the role of point-guard at times, or at the very least, he was running up and down the court with James Harden playing more minutes than you might want an older veteran to be playing on a nightly basis. If you bring him back, there should be enough support that you’re not counting on him to play like his 20-something-year-old self.

The other option would be to find a trade where the Rockets send one of their wing players like Dekker/Papanikolaou/McDaniels to another team for a decent PF in return.

All three of the players I just mentioned carry enough potential in their game that teams would consider that option if they happen to have a big man they’re willing to part with.

The question is who? When? How? If you’re Daryl Morey right now, what’s your next move?

Next: The Aldridge Decision

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