Houston Rockets sign Ben McLemore to partially-guaranteed deal

The Houston Rockets have made another move this offseason, bringing in a former lottery pick and giving him a shot to contribute this year. Will he work out or just be some added depth?

The most exciting time of the offseason is likely over for the Houston Rockets. Now, the team is focusing on filling out the roster with guys who have some potential to contribute to the squad next season, including two former lottery picks from the 2013 draft.

We’ve talked about the Rockets getting the No. 1 pick from that draft, Anthony Bennett, but this morning they picked up the No. 7 pick, Ben McLemore. McLemore has had an underwhelming, but acceptable NBA career so far with the Kings (and kinda the Grizzlies), but had fallen out of the rotation with the emergence of Buddy Hield and others.

Daryl Morey himself broke the news on Twitter of the signing:

Welcome to the @HoustonRockets @BenMcLemore ! https://t.co/xBZaIwCsVF

— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) July 23, 2019

Shams later talked about the signing, saying it is a partially-guaranteed one.

Free agent Ben McLemore has agreed to a partially guaranteed two-year deal with the Houston Rockets, league source tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 23, 2019

Bennett and McLemore

The Rockets are making a habit out of taking flyers on former lottery talent. The addition of these two guys could be an interesting one to watch as they’ll be in a great situation to succeed in their careers.

Both guys have the ability to shoot and have shown that in their careers. Making the full roster is much more than shooting, though, so they’ll have to show something else if they want to be in Houston next season.

McLemore comes in averaging 8.8 points a game on 35% shooting from deep over the course of his six-year NBA career. He is extremely athletic but hasn’t been fantastic on defense in the league. Maybe he can find that ability in a winning situation.

Kings point of view

When I saw this signing take place, I wanted to see what Sacramento fans thought about his fit. I reached out to our friends at A Royal Pain and here’s what they had to say:

“Houston is one of the few teams where I think he can thrive. Finding his spots and waiting for his chances to shoot spot-up threes is where he’s at in his career. If that is pretty much all they expect from him, there is a chance he can be an asset.”

McLemore has the potential to contribute if he buys into the system of the Rockets.

The Rockets have now made all of their offseason moves official, with Gerald Green being signed yesterday. The roster is starting to shape up for how it will look when the season begins. It can’t come soon enough!