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The Houston Rockets should look into signing Tyreke Evans

By Tevin Williams

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 20: Tyreke Evans #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies stands on the court during the first half of a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on January 20, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 20: Tyreke Evans #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies stands on the court during the first half of a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on January 20, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Tyreke Evans is an unrestricted free agent who is unlikely to re-sign with the Grizzlies. He is a player that the Houston Rockets should meet with.

As the Rockets work on re-signing Clint Capela, another free agent they should keep their eyes on is Tyreke Evans.

With Marc Gasol and Mike Conley hurt for most of the season in Memphis, Evans took control of the offense. Last season, Evans put up 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Earlier in his career, Evans was a terrible 3-point shooter, but his long distance shot has come around in recent years.

In the past three seasons, has made 1.6 of his 4.2 3-point attempts per game, which is a very solid 38.7 percent. Furthermore, Evans shoots a scorching 41.1 percent on pull-up 3s last season. For Evans, it doesn’t matter if he’s catching and shooting or pulling up off of the dribble, he is a legitimate 3-point threat.

Also, Evans excels at scoring the ball inside. At the end of January, the Grizzlies decided to sit Evans as they pursued a trade destination for him before the trade deadline (and so they could lose more games in order to secure a higher lottery pick). But up until December 31, Tyreke Evans had 153 made shots inside of 10 feet, which was 6th in the NBA among guards and just three field goals less than James Harden!

Not only can Evans score inside and out, but at 6-foot-6, he can even play point guard. Evans’ career high in assists is 6.6 per game, which he averaged twice as a member of the Pelicans. Evans would be a great backup point guard for Houston. He can take some of the playmaking duties off of Chris Paul and James Harden and give Houston that third point guard that they were missing last season.

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Tyreke Evans signed a one-year $3.2 million deal with the Grizzlies last summer. If they re-sign Paul and Clint Capela, the Rockets will have a taxpayer’s mid-level exception which is worth $5.3 million. That exception can be split up, but the Rockets should use that mid-level exception on Evans. With Chris Paul, James Harden and Eric Gordon already in the fold, Evans could give the Rockets a lot of back court depth.