NBA Free Agency: Houston Rockets Giving Ryan Anderson $80 Million
In free agency, NBA teams sometimes have to settle. According to ESPN, the Houston Rockets signed Ryan Anderson to a four year contract worth $80 million. After the team failed to sign Kent Bazemore and Al Horford, they decided that the New Orleans Pelicans forward would be the best addition they could make in free agency.
Last season, the Houston Rockets achieved a 41-41 record. While many teams in the NBA would love to reach that level, the Rockets were disappointed because they were expected to challenge for the championship. There’s far too much talent in Houston for them to simply just get by.
During the off season, the Houston Rockets lost Dwight Howard, their starting center last season. The team is more than likely going to be using Clint Capela as a replacement. It was a move that they have been planning towards because they knew that Howard was going to opt out of his contract to seek a bigger deal.
Free agent Ryan Anderson plans to sign a four-year, $80M deal with the Houston Rockets, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2016
The Houston Rockets had bigger goals for the off season. Unfortunately, Al Horford decided to sign a $113 million contract with the Boston Celtics, as reported by ESPN. The 6’10” center is the All Star player that the Celtics have been looking for.
Ryan Anderson is one of the better outside shooting power forwards in the NBA. The Houston Rockets have been looking for someone exactly like him to fill the role. New Rockets head coach Mike D’Antonio could use an outside shooter that can help speed up the offense that he wants to run.
With James Harden being one of the most dominant ball handlers in the NBA, someone like Ryan Anderson could be quite useful for the Houston Rockets. Anderson can be a spot shooter who stands at the three point line while Harden does his thing before passing the ball along.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Rockets viewed Al Horford as their top priority in free agency. The team was hoping to structure the contract of Ryan Anderson in a way that enabled them to sign Horford. However, the All Star center decided to sign with the Boston Celtics instead.
With Ryan Anderson already being one of the best shooting big men in the NBA and Al Horford developing his range, the Houston Rockets would have been able to clear the paint very effectively for James Harden, a guard that loves to penetrate and get to the basket.
The Houston Rockets are trying really hard to surround James Harden with outside shooters. According to ESPN, the Rockets signed Eric Gordon to a $53 million contract. The former New Orleans Pelicans guard is expected to draw defenses away from the paint, so that Harden can work his magic.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the signing of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson is considered a risky move by the Houston Rockets because both players have been plagued by injuries over the years. The Rockets are committing a good amount of money to the former New Orleans Pelicans duo.
With Dwight Howard leaving via free agency to sign with his hometown Atlanta Hawks, the Houston Rockets knew that they needed to change up the dynamics of their roster. Based on the moves being made so far, it appears that the Rockets will be playing small ball more frequently next season than they did this past season.
More often than not, free agency does not go as planned for NBA teams. The Houston Rockets were hoping to make a bigger splash. Since they couldn’t, the team wisely went with a back up plan in Ryan Anderson.
[Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images]
