In an offseason where the most teams worked to make major upgrades to their rosters, the Houston Rockets would quietly strike once the dust settled.
Despite having limited cap space and not owning a single pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets still found a way to fill and bolster out their roster during the course of the summer.
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In conjunction with keeping the majority of their core together, as general manager Daryl Morey and his front office team worked extensively behind the scenes to strike deals with several players this offseason.
Houston — which entered the summer with $114 million guaranteed to players on its roster — re-signed Danuel House Jr., Gerald Green and Austin Rivers at the onset of free agency period.
That was in addition to also taking flyers on two young players in the process, as the Rockets signed Ben McLemore and Anthony Bennett to partially guaranteed deals in the effort to fill out their roster.
Yet the following moves made by Morey’s regime proved to be minuscule compared to what came next, as the team that resides in H-Town managed to successfully acquire a prime time superstar in the immediate days that followed.
In a move that stunned many around the league, the Rockets landed eight-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook via trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, to pair the former MVP back with James Harden.
Now, Houston is seeking to help their newest pieces get accustomed to fresh soil, as the franchise that pushed the Golden State Warriors to the brink works to fight and ascend atop of the Western Conference.
Can the team that got within a game of reaching the 2018 NBA Finals finally get over the hump? Here’s a look at the Rockets offseason grades in 2019.