Buddy HieldG Fiume/Getty Images
Potential Spending Power: Non-Taxpayer’s Mid-Level ($12.9 million)
The Houston Rockets were one of this season’s best stories, clearing their preseason over-under for wins by nine and getting flashes of star upside from Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green.
Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore all look like they’ll be, at the very least, solid role players for years to come.
Now, it’s about solidifying supporting cast around that core, and shooting should be a priority there.
Houston was 23rd in three-point percentage this season, and Hield is certainly a player who can help on that front. Signing for the non-taxpayer’s mid-level would be a step down in pay, but it may be worth it for an opportunity to play for an up-and-comer like this.
Green’s stock has changed since a February report detailed rumors of the Rockets offering him in a trade for Bridges, but it’s typically fair to wonder how real a late-season surge like his was.
Green is undoubtedly talented, but some of the defenses he cooked over the last few weeks of the season had sort of unplugged by that point.
There’s still a chance Green’s likeliest career outcome is becoming something of a heat-check scorer prone to stretches of bad shooting and uninspiring defense. And with Şengün, Smith, Thompson and Whitmore on the roster, someone like Bridges might make more sense in the short term.
Generally speaking, though, this slide is trickier than most. Houston can very easily justify a mostly static approach to this offseason. With the amount of young talent it currently has on the roster, little more than natural, internal development should have the team back in the playoffs soon.
