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In addition to the Rockets’ longstanding interest in free agent-to-be LeBronJ
ames, another noteworthy longtime target of general manager Daryl Morey is
Paul George, two league sources told Rockets Wire.
Immediately after agreeing on a deal to bring Chris Paul to Houston last
June,
Morey was reportedly aggressive in the pursuit of George, then with theI
ndiana Pacers.
Ultimately, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder to combine with Rus
sell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.
Many had that trio
pegged for Western Conference greatness, but the Thunder won 46 games and lost
in the first round of the playoffs to the Utah Jazz.
With the offseasonap
proaching,
the Rockets will once again be aggressive in free agency,targeting James or G
eorge, both sources said.
The sources spoke on the
condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the
record about George.
A max contract for James or George would likely come with a first-year salary
around $35 million, meaning Houston would have to make moves to open up moreca
p
space to make either deal happen.
Houston currently is slated to have $85.1 million on the books for next seaso
n, with the salary cap projected
around $101 million.
That’s before factoring in Paul’s $35.5 million cap
hold, which counts against Houston’s total until he either signs a new
contract with the team or leaves for another team.
If George or James decide they want to play in Houston, the easiest way to mak
e it happen without the team sacrificing too much depth would be for
either player to pick up his player option for next season before the end ofJu
ne and engineer a trade.
This is how Paul came to the Rockets last year,
foregoing his player option and pushing the Los Angeles Clippers to work out a
trade rather than losing him for nothing.
Any deal for James or George would have to include power forward Ryan Anderson
for salary-matching purposes,
although it’s unlikely either Cleveland or Oklahoma City would want to take b
ack the two years and $41.6 million remaining on Anderson’s deal.
Landing James or George is difficult for Houston, but not impossible.
Morey insisted Wednesday that he has a path to improving the team, and he’s b
een known to think outside the box in years past.
Where James decides to go is a mystery the entire league is attempting to
solve, and there likely won’t be much clarity on his future until after theen
d of the NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and the Warriors, which begins
Thursday. However, if the Rockets want any shot at landing Paul George, they w
ill have to fend off serious competition from the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakerspr
esident Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have made it known that
George is a priority for them,
having even been fined for tampering earlier this season.
重点:
ESPN驻休士顿记者Kelly Iko透露，有两位消息人士告诉他，
除了LeBron James外，Paul George也是莫雷追求的目标。