Report: Rockets expected to part ways with former 1st-round pick
Mar 31, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; A detail of the Houston Rockets logo on the side of Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) shorts as he plays against the Detroit Pistons in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Rockets may be looking to consolidate in their backcourt this offseason.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic spoke this week on the Rockets’ situation heading into the summer. Iko said that he believes guard Aaron Holiday will leave the Rockets in free agency.
The 27-year-old Holiday, a former first-round draft pick in 2018, is a nice bench piece. He was Houston’s primary backup point guard behind Fred VanVleet this season, averaging 6.6 points and 1.8 assists per game. Holiday is a strong on-ball defender who is a career 38.0 percent shooter from deep.
But there is still a good argument for letting Holiday walk in free agency, particularly if another team wants to pay up for his 3-and-D skillset. With Jalen Green’s ability to handle the ball, the Rockets can stagger his minutes with VanVleet’s. Amen Thompson is another capable ball-handler off the bench too, and Houston also owns the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft (where guard options like Reed Sheppard and Stephon Castle figure to be available). It is possible that the Rockets go a different way with that pick, but this all may be trending towards a split with Holiday regardless.
