Houston Rockets: Grading their signings in NBA free agency

The Houston Rockets could not have believed that they would have been in this position just 12 short months ago. They had concluded their experiment of super small-ball basketball and were thinking of how they were going to improve for the next season.

What a difference 12 months can make for a franchise. James Harden is with the Brooklyn Nets, Russell Westbrook is with the Los Angles Lakers, and P.J. Tucker just won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Now the Rockets are in full rebuild mode. They selected Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun in the first round of the draft and are shopping John Wall, but it is difficult to see that endeavor succeeding. The Rockets are likely to endure more pain before they scale back to the heights of the top of the Western Conference.

Houston Rockets free agency signing No. 1: David Nwaba.

Prior to signing his three-year, $15 million deal with the Rockets, David Nwaba had not played for a franchise for more than a season. He has played five seasons in the league for five different franchises. Interestingly he has not played a minute of playoff basketball in his career either.

Nwaba seemed to fit with the Rockets’ systems last season. He had career highs with 9.2 points per game as well as 1.0 steals per game.  He is never going to be a franchise player but if the Rockets can get a decent rotation player as they rebuild, then this deal is worth it.

Grade: C+

Houston Rockets free agency signing No. 2: Daniel Theis

After being traded by the Boston Celtics to the Chicago Bulls, Daniel Theis saw that he was not going to get much playing time behind Nikola Vucevic. This can be one of the few reasons the German center decided not to stay with the potentially playoff-bound Bulls.

What the Rockets got was a defensively gifted big man who can play the stretch-five role, either alongside Christian Wood or backing him up. The Rockets have him locked into a contract until the end of the 2025 season. This allows the franchise to build around a known quantity, allowing them to identify talent that will be allowed to grow alongside Theis and others.

Grade: A-

Houston Rockets free agency signing No. 3: Dante Exum

For the longest time in this free agency period, it appeared that Dante Exum was not going to get another NBA contract. Injuries have plagued his career and questions were being asked about his ability to take the floor, and then what he would be able to bring if he made it.

Then the Australian National Team broke through at a major championship, the Olympics no less, to win their first medal at this level. Exum was a huge part of this which led to talk, particularly in Australia, about the guard getting another NBA deal.

To put it simply the Rockets had nothing to lose re-signing the Aussie and Exum has everything to gain. It is a match made in heaven. The Rockets will be hoping that Exum can bring some of the aggression he showed at the Olympics. More importantly, they are hoping that he can bring elements of the Boomers culture to the rebuilding team.

Grade: A