The Houston Rockets could be going full galaxy brain in their quest to recoup some of the depth that they lost this offseason.
In an episode Tuesday of his podcast “The Lowe Post,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe revealed that Houston has “kicked the tires” on a trade for Cleveland Cavaliers swingman JR Smith, also noting that he thinks that they will get another wing.
Zach Lowe on the Houston #Rockets (3/3) – "I've heard they kicked the tires on J.R. Smith." #Cavs
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) August 1, 2018
The Rockets suffered in that department with the losses of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency, and Smith might be able to offer a similar 3-and-D skillset for them. However, the 32-year-old is wildly inconsistent and generally prone to lapses in judgement, so it’s worth wondering if there are better avenues for improvement. Smith is also owed $30.4 million over the next two seasons (though his salary for 2019-20 is only partially guaranteed).
The former Sixth Man of the Year does have a rather rich history of playoff experience with four Finals appearances and a championship to his name. But the negatives probably outweigh the positives with Smith, especially with the Rockets’ expected addition of his former teammate Carmelo Anthony. That will probably just remind Smith of a time that he would rather forget.
