General manager Daryl Morey continues his goal of trying to re-sign in-house talent before chasing other potential free agent additions. The Houston Rockets abandoned that idea for a moment as the chased LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan. After those all came up short, the Rockets went back to bringing back current roster players like Corey Brewer and Patrick Beverley. Jason Terry could be next.
If it is not broken, do not try and fix it. That appears to be the motto Morey is operating under after the Rockets reached the NBA Western Conference Finals, just missing out on a trip to the Finals. Instead of brining in new faces, he is re-signing old ones and Terry appears to be next in line. According to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, the Rockets are nearing a deal with Terry who averaged 7 points and 1.9 assists last season at the age of 37. The point guard made his biggest impact during the playoffs when Patrick Beverley was injured. His leadership and 39 percent shooting from beyond the arc got the Rockets through the postseason.
The Rockets re-signed Beverley to a lengthy contract while also bringing back Pablo Prigioni, so Terry is not expected to get a tone of playing time. According to Bleacher Report, the Rockets were a potential landing spot for players like Ty Lawson and Eric Bledsoe in trade deals, but that is not likely to happen considering Houston could be missing out on Josh Smith. That means they cannot afford to get rid of either Trevor Ariza or Terrence Jones in a trade.
Smith is the last piece of Houston's roster last season that remains unsigned. According to the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have extended a deal to Smith, but the forward is still weighing his options, likely hoping to get more money coming his way. According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Smith is still in talks with the Clippers about a potential deal that likely is not any more than what the Rockets offered. The Clippers' roster is getting crowded and Smith would really be battling for playing time alongside Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce. The Rockets might end up being the better landing spot.
According to Turner, Smith is in talks with "several teams" at this point in free agency. Rudy Gay took to Snapchat to express his desire for Smith to sign with the Sacramento Kings. The New York Knicks have also been listed as a potential landing spot for the small forward. Smith did his best to up his value in the league with a successful stint with the Rockets. However, as free agency enters Week 3, the small forward is not going to be handed the contract he likely desires.
