There is much to be said about the first day of free agency, and the Rockets are right at the center of it.
As always, Daryl Morey is being very aggressive during this year’s free agency. Rumors are flying everywhere concerning the Rockets as the first day starts to wind down. So far today, the Rockets have been linked to Nene Hilario, Andre Iguodala, and Iman Shumpert primarily, though there have been reports of other players as well. Let’s take a look back at the day the Rockets have had so far.
Nene
Nene has been the saddest part of the day so far for the Rockets. The veteran turned down a 3-year, $10.9 million offer after a 4-year deal fell through due to the new CBA. Marc J. Spears reported that Nene is back at square one earlier today.
Free agent Nene is very disappointed about his $4 million drop in expected contract & is "back at square one in free agency," a source said. https://t.co/FiVWzbl6Ou
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 1, 2017
For most of the day, the Rockets were still considered favorites to land the backup center. However, the two sides seemed to not be able to agree on the money amount. So, Nene is considering other options, David Aldridge said.
Nene is moving on to talks to other teams after deal with Rockets collapsed this am. Proposed 4/$15M deal would have run into Under 38 rule.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 1, 2017
Nene would have been a great re-sign for the Rockets and it looked like a deal was done last night. But it fell through, so Houston will probably have to look elsewhere.
Andre Iguodala
Iggy was a hot topic in the rumor mill through most of the day. He had a few meetings in the morning and then abruptly stopped and canceled the rest of his meetings. This cancellation happened right after his meeting with the Rockets. What could this mean for Houston? Most likely, he will take the offer back to Golden State and compare. The Warriors are prepared to offer Iggy a 3-year deal.
Warriors to meet with Andre Iguodala, prepared to offer him a three-year deal, per source https://t.co/uDOFQUJf1P pic.twitter.com/bs8kWZI3oX
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) July 1, 2017
Could the Rockets pull off a steal of the valuable forward? The money issue is the main concern for Houston. The Warriors can likely give him more money, so they are probably considered the favorites.
Iman Shumpert
For a little bit, it looked like a trade for the Cavs’ Iman Shumpert was all but guaranteed. Now, it is still likely to happen but there has been no news for awhile. Shump would be an interesting guard to add to the Rockets as he can defend and shoot the 3 decently. The reports say that the Cavs would get little to nothing in return, so possibly some of those non-guaranteed salaries the Rockets have. More news about Shumpert to Houston should come tonight.
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Others
The Rockets have also been linked to a few players that went elsewhere. J.J. Redick went to the 76ers, Michael Carter-Williams mercifully went to Charlotte, and Amir Johnson also went to Philly. Redick got some serious cash from Philadelphia, $23 million to be exact.
Other news that came out today is that Zhou Qi will sign a multi-year deal that puts him in Houston until 2021. We will have to see how the interesting prospect turns out in the NBA.
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