Darryl Morey has done the hardest job, getting Dwight Howard to sign with the Rockets.
Now the Houston general manager has even more moves ahead.
The Rockets don’t have cap room to give Howard a max contract, so Morey must either convince Howard to take less money, arrange a sign-and-trade with the Lakers or change his roster.
Houston can waive Greg Smith, Patrick Beverley,Tim Ohlbrecht and James Anderson without a cap hit, and Ohlbrecht and Anderson seem destined to that fate. But Smith and Beverley are good players who don’t deserve to simply be cut.
Though he drew more attention for injuring Russell Westbrook, Beverly helped the Rockets successfully go small against the Thunder in their first-round playoff series. Beverly is a solid 3-pointer shooter and finisher at the rim, and his athleticism makes him an intriguing defender.
Smith has been very effective at every stop, starting with the D-League and extremely limited minutes with Houston two seasons ago. As a member of the Rockets’ regular rotation last season, he continued to fill his role well. He has a good frame for a power forward, and he rebounds like it. He deserves a chance to take more responsibility next year.
Beverley and Smith also stand out because they’re on minimum contracts, boosting their trade value even further.
Morey would certainly waive those two if that’s what it took to get Howard, but smart teams know that and will be calling Morey right now, first offering their congratulations and then trying to poach Beverley and/or Smith. Obviously, Houston would rather get a protected second rounder in return rather than losing either with no return.
But that alone wouldn’t clear room for Howard to get a max contract.
The Rockets could use the stretch provision on Royce White, and that along with losing the four unguaranteed contracts would do the trick, but trading White, Terrence Jonesand/or Donatas Motiejunas might be more appealing. Trading any one of the three without taking back salary would also work as the final piece of max-contract puzzle.
White’s trade value might have bottomed out at zero, but Jones and Motiejunas were recently first-round picks who at least showed flashes during their rookie years last season. I’d think either could get a second-round pick.
Houston could also look at bigger offers – a sign-and-trade, deals involving Jeremy Lin and/or Omer Aisk (and maybe Josh Smith), etc. But Morey will probably start small to make sure his ducks are in a row, ensuring Howard signs on the dotted line without complication.
