NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Possibly Signing Matthew Dellavedova From Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA rumors are swirling around Matthew Dellavedova. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on a quest to bring the city its first championship since joining the National Basketball Association. Dellavedova has played a big part in the Cavaliers’ success. He has done all the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. The former Saint Mary’s Gaels star is set become a free agent this upcoming summer. Due to his play, plenty of teams in the National Basketball Association are looking to add Dellavedova to their roster. According to FanSided, one team in the league that could be interested in signing him is the Houston Rockets.

Matthew Dellavedova was one of top junior players in Australia. ESPN had him ranked as the 73rd best shooting guard recruit for the 2008-2009 recruiting season. Dellavedova decided to play his college ball at Saint Mary’s. He contributed right away for the team and started each of the first 15 games of the season. Dellavedova was the WCC Player of the Year in 2012. He finished his college career as Saint Mary’s all time leader in scoring, assists, game played, free throw percentage, and three point shots. St. Mary’s decided to retire his jersey in 2014. That was the second jersey to be retired by the basketball program.

During the 2013 NBA Draft, Matthew Dellavedova went undrafted. He joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2013 NBA Summer League. He impressed the team. They gave him a two year, $1.3 million contract. In Dellavedova’s second season in the National Basketball Association, he was selected to be in the Rising Stars Challenge during the All Star weekend.

During his second year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Matthew Dellavedova played a big part in the team’s success in the NBA Playoffs. He scored a team high 19 points to help the team beat the Chicago Bulls and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. During the series with the Atlanta Hawks, Dellavedova was tagged by people that he was a dirty player for his aggressive play. Despite the criticism, teammate LeBron James and NBA great Charles Barkley both defended Dellavedova play style.

Matthew Dellavedova became a free agent last summer. He was a restricted free agent. Due to the lack of interest from other teams in the NBA, he decided to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a one year deal. He was ready to prove to all the teams in the National Basketball Association that he is worth a lot more than $1.2 million. Dellavedova has done just that this season. Some people in the league believe that he will get around $10 million per year from someone this summer.

One of the teams looking to add the type of player like Matthew Dellavedova could be the Houston Rockets. Dwight Howard is expected to opt out of his current contract this summer. They are looking to retool their roster to fit superstar James Harden. Adding Dellavedova could be the smart move for the Rockets. While it’s true that Houston already has Patrick Beverley, he is someone that might not necessarily be a great fit with Harden.

Matthew Dellavedova could be the perfect player to play beside James Harden. Dellavedova is mainly an off ball player. He makes his living by playing strong defense and being a shooter. He would be able to help Harden on the defensive side of the ball. Dellavedova would be guarding the best opposing guard.

The Houston Rockets are going to be looking for players that will fit around superstar James Harden this summer. Signing a player like Matthew Dellavedova might be the perfect fit. He is an unselfish player who can shoot the ball and play defense. That’s exactly what Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is looking for.

[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]