Realistic guards the Rockets should target this summer

The Western Conference Finals are depressing.

Some Rockets fans are watching them for keys to the future. What do they have that we don’t?

What if the answer is “just about everything”?

Beyond Rockets fans, NBA observers love to watch the Finals in search of the new “meta”. Slow bigs are out. No, wait, they’re fine, but small guards are out. No, wait!

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Well, Jalen Brunson, much to Becky Hammond’s chagrin, is heading to the NBA Finals. Isaiah Hartenstein is as traditional a big man as one can be.

The truth is much simpler, and much bleaker. As the NBA optimizes, it veers towards the singularity. You need a top-10 player. You need depth at every position. You need it all.

Someone let Rafael Stone and/or Ime Udoka know that you also need multiple ball handlers.

Rockets must add backcourt depth this summer

Although they surely know that. Needing something is different from getting it.

The available free agents seem either undesirable or unattainable. The Rockets should have the taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception (MLE)…I think?

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That shouldn’t be enough for Anfernee Simons, Coby White, or maybe even Quentin Grimes. It’d likely fetch you Gabe Vincent or Bogdan Bogdanovic, but it’s hard to say if either cracks the 2026-27 rotation. There isn’t really a free agent guard who finds that sweet spot between good enough to play and too good to pay.

That said, the trade market is a bit easier to navigate.

Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that Rafael Stone isn’t looking to blow up the team or fork over his best assets. He’s looking at marginal gains. If that assumption holds, he’s probably looking at trading Dorian Finney-Smith and/or Clint Capela, along with second-round draft capital, for a meaningful reserve guard.

That could create its own issues. The Rockets may be hoping Finney-Smith can regain some form and bolster their wing depth. Fair. Surely, they see that Capela wasn’t a feasible rotation option in the playoffs, so at least trading him should be on the table.

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The trade market is different from the free agent market. We don’t know who’s on the trade…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/realistic-guards-rockets-target-summer-100508348.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-02 10:05:00

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