Houston Rockets: Complete 2017 offseason grades

Signing P.J. Tucker

After trading for Paul, the Rockets needed to rebuild their bench. After all, they sent several rotational players to the Clippers in exchange for the future Hall of Fame point guard.

After the trade, the Rockets were left paper-thin in the frontcourt, making the four-year, $32 million signing of P.J. Tucker even more valuable and important.

Tucker is a versatile and physical defender that is capable of guarding both guards and forwards. His ability to switch on to smaller guards or bigger forwards is extremely valuable, especially in the Western Conference.

Last season Tucker posted a defensive box plus-minus of 1.9 and a defensive real plus-minus of 1.78, good for 12th in the league among small forwards.

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However, given his relatively limited shooting ability, Tucker is best suited to play more minutes at power forward in small lineups. He can guard most opposing power forwards and is capable of switching onto guards in the pick-and-roll.

Tucker is certainly limited offensively, as he primarily spots up in the corner for three-pointers. For his career, 72.3 percent of his three-point attempts have come from the corner. Last season, he hit 45.5 percent of such shots from beyond the arc.

At around $8 million per year, the Rockets got Tucker signed on a very reasonable contract. Although he is already 32, Tucker should be slated to play above the contract value for at least the first two years of the contract. In fact, the fourth year of the contract is supposedly partially guaranteed.

After losing Patrick Beverley, the Rockets were in need of a tough, physical defender. Tucker has a similar attitude to the game as Beverley does, which will benefit the Rockets during tough stretches of the game and season. Plus, you can never have enough good defenders on your roster.

Grade: A-