Bogdan Bogdanovic is a very worrying first signing for the Rockets

The Rockets had plenty of realistic free agency and trade targets to address major weaknesses, but instead began the offseason by signing Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is coming off his age 33 season with 23 games played. Bogdanovic is now a far cry from the player he was even 3 years ago, and his addition won't make a big difference for the Rockets.

The Rockets are striking out so far this offseason

At a time when other teams in the West are setting themselves up to improve drastically, the Rockets seem content with largely standing pat even after a first-round exit. Houston has already let numerous big names and ideal fits slip through their hands, whether it was shooting upgrades on the margins or stars to bring serious shot-making to the team. Taking this approach after such a disappointing playoff exit only makes it all the more frustrating.

Of course, you could argue that many of the Rockets' veterans missed most or all of the playoffs. Kevin Durant only played one game and Fred VanVleet missed the entirety of last season. But neither of those guys is getting any younger and you can't expect full health from them going forward. So the Rockets' decision to stick with them without adding sufficient helps remains baffling.

Bogdanovic will not be the solution Houston needs

And adding Bogi won't change anything. He managed to appear in just 23 games last season and was pretty uninspiring in those contests. Bogdanovic averaged a career-low 7.4 points per game while shooting just 39% from the field. It's difficult to imagine him being a priority signing for any team in free agency, let alone one that still has title hopes.

Signing him later in the offseason might have made sense, although it was unlikely to make a big impact either way. But having him be the first major move of the summer speaks volumes to how the Rockets are approaching this offseason. They seem happy to chase role players past their prime in an effort to build a veteran squad around Durant, VanVleet and head coach Ime Udoka.

Elsewhere, they are very interested in Marcus Smart - who is also coming off a down year with awful shooting. The comparisons between Smart and Bogdanovic, who both peaked about 3 years ago, are too obvious to ignore. At a time when every other team is looking ahead to create sustainable success, the Rockets are stuck in the past trying to recreate the magic of Udoka's 2022 Finals run.

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