Tyler Johnson couldn’t find his shot in Phoenix (48.1 true shooting percentage, 28.9% from three), got buried on the bench behind Ricky Rubio and Jevon Carter, and once the Suns couldn’t use him in a trade at the deadline they bought him out. No team snapped him up.
Now comes word the Rockets may bring him in for depth during the Orlando restart. From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:The Rockets in preparation for next month’s restart of the NBA season are looking at several options for a roster move including signing free agent guard Tyler Johnson, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking said Friday.
Johnson, a 6-4 guard, was waived by the Suns in February after the trade deadline. He was among the players the Rockets showed interest in signing in 2016 when the Nets signed Johnson to a four-year, $50 million [offer sheet] that the Heat matched.
Johnson, if healthy and if his shot can return, would fit well with the small ball game of the Rockets — Johnson was shooting 37% from three and showing a lot of promise when the Heat matched that contract. If he could get back to anywhere near that, he would be able to provide some depth for Houston.
However, to sign Johnson — or anyone else — the Rockets would have to waive one of the players currently under contract or one of their two-way players to make roster space (even under the expanded roster rules in place for Orlando).