Even with a fully healthy team, for the fourth time in five years, the Houston Rockets’ season came to an end in the NBA playoffs thanks to the Golden State Warriors.
Heading into the offseason, the Rockets have no NBA draft picks to offer, no cap space to work with and two very heavy contracts belonging to James Harden and Chris Paul.
Yet, there is still the possibility the front office can make some moves, make some trades and snag some worthwhile free agents this summer.
RocketsWire is exploring and breaking down those free agents, and what they can offer to the team.
Wayne Ellington
The guard was waived by Phoenix after the Suns acquired him in a trade with the Miami Heat and signed a free-agent deal with the Detroit Pistons in February.
Set to be a free agent once again, the sharpshooter has expressed his interest in joining a team that is an NBA title contender for a long amount of time. Though he has said he loves being in Detriot …. hello, Houston.
Despite moving around throughout the league — he spent three seasons growing and thriving with the Heat — he is widely considered a leader in the locker room.
The 31-year-old’s outside shooting ability and efficient ball handling and facilitating are attractive for a Rockets team that is looking to build its second unit.
Ellington is also a great defender off the wing, and would be a complimentary shooter if he’s on the court with either Harden and/or Paul.
With the Heat/Suns, Ellington made roughly $6.2 million, and he made roughly $2.4 million with the Pistons after the used the rest of their mid-level exception (MLE). It is unlikely the Pistons can afford to keep him around, so this is where the Rockets can try to step in.
