Houston Rockets will pursue free agent Paul Pierce, reports say

With free agency kicking off tonight, the Rockets have started making their calls to players as they try to fill out next season's roster, and Paul Pierce is reportedly one of the players receiving interest from Daryl Morey and company. This, from Marc Stein:

Blazers, Grizzlies, Bulls, Mavericks, Rockets ... teams I'm told called tonight to register interest in Brooklyn's Paul Pierce BESIDES Clips

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 1, 2014

Pierce was off by his standards with the Nets in 2013-14, and with him celebrating his 37th birthday before the start of the season, it might be time to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Still, he managed to score upwards of 13 points a game and shoot 37% from the field.

His defense is not where it needs to be and he can't be counted on for 82 games, but as a bench player, the Rockets could do much worse. The only question is how much the Rockets will offer. Depending on how free agency goes, the Rockets will likely have the mid-level exception or room exception to offer a free agent. Pierce will certainly get offers above the room exception so if the Rockets use cap space to sign a free agent, Pierce will likely be out of their price range. However, we're not even two hours into free agency, so a lot can change. I'll hold off judgment until we know more.