The Houston Rockets might be stressing that they have a team ready to contend for a championship, but they said the same thing last season and that failed to pan out for them. After missing out on Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, losing Chandler Parsons and being forced to settle for Trevor Ariza, the Rockets are still aiming to add one splashy player to the roster before it is too late. At this point their options are limited unless they pull off a big trade.
The Rockets ideally still need a point guard. Right now, the projected starting point guard is Patrick Beverley who split time with Jeremy Lin last season. The Rockets traded Lin to the Los Angeles Lakers which leaves them with a big hole on the depth chart. The options on the free agent market are limited at best, which could force the Rockets to make a bigger move than they originally intended.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Rockets could be in the running for a few players. The first choice could be Eric Bledsoe who is a restricted free agent for the Phoenix Suns. The team keeps saying they intend on re-signing Bledsoe, but negotiations have failed since Phoenix already has enough players at the point guard position to save themselves from over spending. Bidding for Bledsoe is low so the Rockets might be able to win out if they offer a favorable deal. At this point, the Suns look unlikely to match the offer.
The long-shot option could be Rajon Rondo. The Boston Celtics are thinking of using Rondo as a tool to land Kevin Love. According to the Boston Globe, the Celtics have backed off trade talks for the forward, realizing that they could be outbid with how many teams are targeting him. The Celtics still have interest in Love, but possibly only if he becomes a free agent next summer. If Love is traded, Rondo could be sent packing as well if the point guard no longer wants to be with the Celtics. If the prospect of getting Love is gone, Boston looks a lot less interesting in the coming seasons.
The Rockets could try and trade for someone like Ricky Rubio who is currently getting on Minnesota's bad side with his contract demands. Deron Williams could be in the same boat. There is no confirmation that these two players are officially available for the right deal, but their names have been tossed around before for various reasons.