In their first free agency splash, the Houston Rockets have agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal with forward Ryan Anderson.
It may have taken longer than most thought, but the Houston Rockets have finally locked down their first free agent this offseason.
In a deal that was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Rockets have agreed on a four-year, $80 million contract with Ryan Anderson.
A player that has long been associated with in the build up to free agency, securing Anderson fills a void for Houston at their power forward position, with both Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas seemingly out of the Rockets’ long-term plans.
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
Voted Most Improved Player in the 2011-12 season as a member of the Orlando Magic, Anderson gives the Rockets an ability to space the floor as a stretch 4, along with some much needed efficiency from beyond the arc as he’s a career 38 percent three-point shooter.
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Of course, Anderson’s coming from New Orleans, where his stay in the bayou was full of ups and downs.
In his four years with the organization, Anderson produced some very solid seasons, with the best being the 2012-13 season where he averaged 16.2 points per game (on 42 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from deep) and 6.4 rebounds per game.
However, Anderson dealt with devastating obstacles both on and off the court as he endured a flurry of injuries (including a very scary neck injury that cut his season short in the 2013-14 campaign) and personal tragedy.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical, Anderson had his choice of suitors around the league this offseason and even strongly considered to make a homecoming of sorts:
"Anderson, 28, had narrowed his choices to the Rockets and Sacramento Kings. Anderson, a Northern California native, had strong ties to the region and seriously considered a return close to home to play with the Kings."
With his deal with the Rockets now in place, there are a few things to consider with Anderson’s place on the Rockets.
While his fit within the Rockets works on many levels offensively, the real question is what will he be able to contribute on the other end of the floor to help the Rockets’ defensive woes.
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It’s no secret that the Rockets took a massive step back on that end of the floor this season (the Rockets were 21st in defensive rating, per NBA.com/stats) and now with new head coach Mike D’Antoni in place, things aren’t looking too promising that the Rockets will learn from the mistakes they made this year.
Sure, pairing Anderson with the promising Clint Capela could turn out to be serviceable for the Rockets, but that might too tall of a task for Capela at this stage.
Additionally, already at 28 years old and with his concerning injury history, the Rockets have to hope Anderson can avoid the injury bug over the course of his contract.
Of course, the Rockets aren’t the only team that could face that question down the road based on the many deals we’ve seen so far, but it’s something that nevertheless could be a liability for them.
All in all, the Rockets signing Anderson isn’t all that surprising and although he carries some potential red flags, he helps the Rockets considerably in some areas that they needed to address as well.
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One thing’s for certain though, and that’s the Rockets always have something up their sleeve, so we’ll have to see what else they have in store this summer.