The Houston Rockets have been linked with almost every major NBA free agent this offseason. Now they're reportedly the frontrunner for Kyle Kuzma.
According to Chris Haynes, the Houston Rockets have the edge when it comes to signing Kyle Kuzma. This is a very unexpected development. Kuzma was not among the listed players that the Rockets were expected to make a run at this offseason when Jonathan Feigen made his report on the Rockets' free-agent targets. Still, Houston would probably love to have Kumza on the squad.
The veteran player is one of the better wing scorers in this league and could help any team. As noted by Evan Sidnery, the Rockets might need to trade Kevin Porter Jr. to outbid the Kings for the top scorer. This is due to the fact that Houston is also pursuing Fred VanVleet and Dillion Brooks.
Although teams are not looking to add a huge salary like Porter's $15 million dollar, due to some clauses in the contract it is non-guaranteed and very easy to get out of it if a team wants to after trading for him. If the Rockets were to go down that route, a team could be interested in taking Porter's contract due to the clauses and first-round picks that the Rockets could offer in a deal.
What would adding Kyle Kuzma do for the Houston Rockets?
Houston is looking to make a run at the playoffs after tanking for the last three years. Adding Kuzma would certainly help with that. According to Marc Stein, the Rockets are expected to sign Fred VanVleet and Dillion Brooks in free agency in addition to Kuzma.
Even if Houston is able to get all three of these players, the Rockets are not a championship-contending team by any means. Still, this is a team that will most likely make the playoffs. The ceiling on a team that has a starting lineup of VanVleet, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun with a potential bench of Kuzma, Brooks, Cam Whitmore, and Tari Eason among others is the second-round at best.
With their cap space maxed going forward, Houston would be most likely locked as a team good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to win the championship. Still, the goal of Houston's front office was to make the playoffs this season and they will certainly have a good shot of doing that if they hit on these free-agent targets.
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