This offseason, the Houston Rockets can be said to have no other recruitment operations in the market. Whether it's the free agent market or the trade market, the Rockets are almost nowhere to be seen. To put it mildly, if they hadn't been unexpectedly picked and drafted Reed Shepard, the Rockets would have nothing to look forward to next season other than to see how these young core players progress. However, it did not work before, which does not mean that the rocket did not act next, although it is more prudent to follow the step-by-step approach, but the rocket still shows a certain aggressiveness in the market. The signing of the Rockets is reached, the Titans may leave the team, the internal and external combinations are finalized, and the championship is the ultimate goal of the Rockets.
Earlier, the Rockets officially announced that they have officially signed a two-way contract with forward Jack McVeigh, who is currently following Australia to the Paris Olympics. According to previous introductions, McVeigh is a 2.03-meter-tall forward shooter who won the NBL championship with Tasmania this past season, and he was also selected as the MVP of the finals. This past season, McVeigh averaged 17.3 points per game, shooting 52.1% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range, and in the playoffs, McVeigh averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds per game, shooting 51.4% from three-point range and 92.7% from the free-throw line.
It can be seen that although the Rockets have no heavy additions in the market this offseason, they have improved the team's three-point shooting ability, in addition to Shepard, McVeigh's three-point ability has also been recognized, and the Rockets have only 35.2% three-point shooting rate in the past season, ranking 23rd in the league. In addition to the signings of these role players, the Rockets have other ideas when it comes to the core roster. According to a report from NBA reporter Barrett Seagal, in addition to Mikal Bridges, the Rockets have previously tried to trade for stars like Jimmy Butler, Paul George, and even Kevin Durant, and their player chips are none other than Jalen Green, who has been rumored to be.
First, the Rockets have been known to have tried to trade Green for Bridges this past season. Secondly, this offseason, the Rockets are still looking for a trade, and no matter what the rumors are, I believe fans are well aware that the Rockets' chips basically revolve around Green. In that case, it wouldn't be a surprise if Green were to be traded away by the Rockets before next season began. But then again, in order to appease Green, the Rockets previously released news that the purpose of their negotiations with the Nets was to reach a swap about draft picks. At the time, it seemed like the Rockets were ready to bring Green back.
But since the Rockets drafted Shepard and the latter made a splash in Summer League, things have changed. Even from a fan perspective, no one wants to see Shepard being put on the bench for too much time, which is a waste of resources. And Rockets coach Udoka did not hesitate to praise Shepard when he talked about him, and also used the word "leader" to describe Shepard. In this way, Green is not only embarrassed, but even he is a bit of an "eyesore", plus Green is facing an early contract extension, the Rockets will definitely not be able to keep Green at a cheap price, and the management is more actively seeking a trade in the market to send away the former core, which is also easy to understand.
In this way, the lineup pattern envisioned by the Rockets management is very clear, Shepard and Shin Jing will become the team's next internal and external core, Dillon is the spiritual leader, the core of the forward defense, and Jabari Smith Jr. It seems that it is not easy to develop independent offensive ability, and it will be more realistic to make him a defensive gate. VanVleet's contract could also add value to the Rockets in exchange for an All-Star-caliber player in the future. In this way, the best situation is that the Rockets can form a set of 5 people with good offense and defense, and multiple cores, such a lineup, the Rockets will have a chance to attack the championship.
In fact, when he sent Harden away into the rebuilding phase, Stone said that the Rockets' goal is not just to get back into contention, they want to get back into championship contention. This is also the reason why the Rockets have not made a move in recent years when players including Mitchell have appeared on the market, and they want to wait until the time is right to build a strong and stable team that can keep them in the championship ranks for a long time. Now that the core of the Rockets is in place and the role lineup has stabilized, they will continue to strengthen the lineup and improve their overall strength. And the chips of the Rockets are also enough, and Stone's test has just begun.