In the early morning of July 1, Beijing time, the NBA free market opened, Paul George and Thompson will become free agents, and the selection of multiple players this year can determine the pattern of the NBA next season. Before the draft, the Rockets, who were rumored to have made multiple trades, suddenly handled the personnel changes. While waiting for a deal from another team, the Rockets did not give Hinton and Samuels new contracts. The departure of the two forwards will free up the Rockets to prepare for the next trade.
The Rockets have no shortage of forwards, and the two forwards who were abandoned lack shooting ability and are also very average in talent, and there is a big gap between them and the Rockets' rookie 7 sons. Whitmore will have more playing time next season, and since the beginning of last season, Whitmore has been playing in the Development League, but Udoka is not optimistic about him. He relied on his own play to play, and with the new trade of AJ Griffin, the Rockets have two first-round picks at the No. 3 spot, and there is no longer a need for some highly replaceable players.
At present, counting the rookies, the Rockets have a total of 16 players, the roster has been determined, and the overall talent has been upgraded, and the team is either a rotational player with immediate combat power or a young player with great potential. There are no more "numbered" players, and Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith have been selected for the U.S. men's basketball team. Jalen Green is training hard, he should have a sense of crisis, this year the Rockets are brewing a big deal, Shen Jing is not for sale, if it really involves Booker, Mitchell and other star trades, Green is a must.
Stone gave Shepard a high rating, and he will play in the Rockets' summer league, which will be played against the Lakers on July 13, and Shepard will play this year's No. 55 rookie Bronny, which is a set of key games. Tanhua Xiu faced Bronny, who is more popular than the champion this year, Shepard will be directly opposite him, his shooting ability is in the NBA-level confrontation, the three-point shooting rate can still be a few percent, the ability to control the dribble, and whether he can play the No. 1 position.
The two cores of the Rockets, Green and Shin Jing, are eligible for a five-year contract extension of 225 million this summer, but according to reporter Fagan, the Rockets will not give two contracts with maximum salaries. Shen Jing has no salary cap, and next season, the Rockets will continue to impact the playoffs, and his shooting power will decline, and his average points and rebounds per game will also decline. This is also a means for Stone to lower the price, Jalen Green is different, his progress is too slow, he is always an inefficient scorer, and it is not very likely to give two salary caps.
With the addition of experienced veterans such as Landale, Adams, Tate and Jeff Green, the Rockets' 16-man roster actually has no shortcomings, and in the case of difficult to get superstars, this lineup is enough to impact the playoff spots. After the free market opens, the Rockets will not sit still, and many instant players have expired contracts, and the Rockets can try to sign the right players. Traded to AJ Griffin, plus the selection of Shepard, the Rockets' three-point shooting ability has improved a lot, executing Landale's contract, Adams is back, and the Rockets don't have to worry about protecting the rim.