5 free-agent options for the Rockets at center

1. Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside is a generational shot blocker. The 7-foot center has more 5-block games than Rudy Gobert, who won Defensive Player of the Year three times in a five-year span.

Whiteside has career averages of 2.2 blocks per contest and led the league in blocks on multiple occasions. The 34-year-old center has found himself out of the league, as he's currently playing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league in Puerto Rico.

Granted, shot blocking doesn't equate to being a good defender. Let's be clear.

But it's a skillset that the Rockets lack and Whiteside possesses.

Whiteside could easily step into a reserve role for the Rockets and would instantly resume his former status as one of the league's best rim protectors. Whiteside has proven to be capable of being a high-level rim protector on the bench, as he averaged 1.6 blocks per contest in 2021-22 (eighth-best) despite playing just 17.9 minutes per contest with the Utah Jazz.

Whiteside also averaged 8.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in a limited role, while shooting 65.2 percent from the field.