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Another one bites the dust.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Houston Rockets will soon waive Ben McLemore.
The Houston Rockets are planning to waive swingman Ben McLemore, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Several contenders are expected to express interest in the sharpshooting wing.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 3, 2021
McLemore came to the Rockets in the 2019 offseason on the fringe of the league with one stop in Houston looking to rewrite his NBA future.
Last season, his 10.1 points per game were the most for him since 2014-15, his second year in the league.
He also proved himself to be one of the team’s best shooters at a 40% clip.
However, this season, as the Rockets have taken a turn for the worst, so did McLemore’s playing time.
Despite being one of the healthiest Rockets all season long, McLemore has only played in 32 of the Rockets’ games this season, mostly in garbage time. His three-point shooting has also taken a dip at 33.1%.
Waiving McLemore will give him an opportunity to sign on as a depth piece for a contender in the stretch run this season, and I think he’ll have a shot to latch on with another team.
Just one week ago, McLemore nailed seven threes in his final Houston start against the Timberwolves and tied his season-high with 21 points.
Benny Mac needs to play with someone on the floor who can create those shots for him. He had that last year with Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but he doesn’t fit this team nearly as well as he did with last year’s team. Hopefully he finds what he’s looking for.