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Let's be honest fam, free agency so far is not exactly going the way people have expected. For years, the Rockets have seemingly been waiting for this offseason in order to pitch Kevin Durant to come to Houston and play with his former teammate James Harden.
Instead, Durant kicked the Rockets, Harden and the city of Houston in the nuts and didn't even give them a meeting. Teams like the Thunder, Warriors, Spurs, Clippers, Celtics, and Heat were on his wish list and not the Rockets. Fine, whatever Durant, we didn't like you anyway.
The Rockets then turned their attention to Hawks Kent Bazemore, and despite rolling out the red carpet and meeting him in Atalanta at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, he left the meeting without a deal and is now staying put with in Atlanta.
I thought free agents wanted to play in Houston, isn't that why Mike D'Antoni was hired in the first place? Instead, they are signing all over the place for fat stacks of money. Luckily, the Rockets were able to find a few New Orleans Pelicans wandering the streets of Houston and signed them to a combined $133 million over the next four years.
So free agency isn't a total bust anymore! Now depending on moves, the Rockets still have about $9-10 million left to spend if they so choose. When looking at what's left in free agency, Daryl Morey can no longer shop at Target or Whole Foods for ingredients; he has to do so at Dollar General or the $3 bin at Walmart. But just because the Rockets are now shopping on a budget doesn't mean there aren't values to be had.
So you know who the best free agents are... Here are the rest.
Smalls
Leandro Barbosa - A combo guard, can run the point but was more of a shooting guard with the Warriors. Reunite him with D'Antoni, 'nuff said.
Isaiah Canaan - Exiled from the Rockets, but it's time to bring him home. He would fit great in the brand new, up-and-down speedball that they want to play. Need someone to jack up shots and run the second unit? Why not Canaan?
Greivis Vasquez - I feel like the Rockets have tried to get him in the past a few times. You won't find a better, cheaper floor general then Vasquez. Had a down year last year and was injured; he's coming off ankle surgery. He's 6-foot-5, but wasn't athletic when he was a healthy college student. Now that he's an NBA veteran with a litany of lower body injuries, his savvy and outside shooting are the only benefits he brings to a team, but the Rockets could use both.
Mario Chalmers - An Achilles injury ended his year last year, but he was a big factor in the LeBron James title runs with the Heat. Very scrappy defender, not sure you need another one if you already have Patrick Beverley on the team. He is a better outside shooter than the Wolverine over the course of their careers, however.
Bigs
Amar'e Stoudemire - Why the hell not! He may move like he's stuck in quicksand, but he does know the system and had his best years in it. Vastly differently player now, but D'Antoni could find a use for him. Plus with Dwight Howard now gone, the Rockets have no real muscle at center.
Luis Scola - Scola has completely remade himself playing with the Raptors and the Pacers. The ice cream man can now shoot from three and he is a very crafty player. Since adding the three to his game he's gotten better every year, last year shooting 40% from deep.
Marreese Speights - He was instant offense off the bench for the Warriors, able to hit mid-range jumpers and three-pointers and not being terrible on defense guarding backup centers. Sounds exactly like the type of guy the Rockets could use, doesn't it?