4 free agents the Rockets wish they'd signed instead of Dillon Brooks

3. Cameron Johnson

If the Rockets had gone with Johnson, they wouldn't have saved money. The average annual value of his deal is $23.6 million to Brooks' $21.5 million.

That's fine. Johnson shot 39.1% from deep on 6.1 attempts per game. This is a certified floor spacer. If the Rockets had signed Johnson, it would have given their offense a meaningful boost in 2023-24.

He's no slouch on the defensive end, either. Perhaps Brooks has an edge in that area, but the Rockets had a stellar defense and an anemic offense in 2023-24. It would have been worth the trade-off to have Johnson instead of Brooks.

Best of all, poaching Johnson from the Nets would have weakened their infrastructure. The Rockets were lucky to land the third pick from Brooklyn this year, but if they add a primary offensive option this summer, they won't have the Rockets another lottery pick. If they didn't have Johnson on their roster, they could be more inclined to rebuild.