Rockets decide to go bargain hunting
Trade for Knicks’ Anthony appears unlikely at moment.
— Days into free agency, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey will tap the brakes on the chase for high-dollar talent and instead go bargain hunting.
The Rockets probably will seek only one more free-agent addition with a minimum contract, Morey said, rather than using their biannual exception or making a deal for a pricier free agent in a sign-and-trade involving their collection of nonguaranteed contracts.
“Both of them, hold them, unless something amazing happens,” Morey said. To Morey, “amazing” would be a player who can earn much more than minimum choosing to join the Rockets’ already crowded rotation.
A possible trade for Carmelo Anthony could be as improbable, though Anthony has let the New York Knicks know he would like to be traded to the Rockets or the Cleveland Cavaliers, an individual familiar with his thinking said.
After an ESPN report early Monday said that Anthony was “open” to waiving his no-trade clause to play in Houston or Cleveland, multiple individuals with knowledge of the Rockets’ planning said Monday that the team is in no active talks about a trade for Anthony. Morey would not comment about any trade talks.
With forward Ryan Anderson the next-highest paid Rockets player after Chris Paul and James Harden, the Knicks have not been interested in building a trade around a veteran who is signed for longer than Anthony and plays the same position as their most important player, Kristaps Porzingis.
Morey and Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni have been clear that they value Anderson’s shooting range as important to the offense that ranked second in the NBA last season and see him as a good fit with Paul.
The Rockets are also not involved in talks to acquire assets to make a trade with the Knicks more likely.
With little room in the rotation after landing former Texas Longhorn P.J. Tucker and re-signing Nene, the Rockets’ next free-agent efforts will be focused on a player, regardless of position, who would sign for the minimum.
“We would save” the biannual exception and nonguaranteed contracts, Morey said. “If something really good breaks, we’ll look at it. But I think teams make mistakes trying to make sure they finish everything on July 3. We’ll have ability to aggregate up the nonguaranteed aspect at any point. We want to save our biannual unless something comes along really good so we can outbid other contenders later.”
Morey said he also could hold on to his nonguaranteed contracts for many reasons, “not the least of which (is) the players are interesting and could help us. There’s a whole set of reasons.” agency, and the Spurs drafted guard Derrick White in the first round last month. But Murray is the point guard in the spotlight.
“I’m thankful for the season I had last year, but it was my rookie year,” he said. “I got a long way to go.”
Among the things Murray is hoping to work on over the next few weeks in Utah and Las Vegas is his midrange jumper. He shot 14.3 percent from the midrange area last season.
He’s better at getting to the basket (converting 53.7 percent in the restricted area and 44.7 percent in the nonrestricted area) and wasn’t that bad beyond the arc, an area NBA scouts mentioned he needed to work on, converting 9 of 23 3-pointers.
Though enhancing his offense and improving his defense are among the goals, floor leadership is what coaches want Murray to work on the most.
“Our main instructions for him are to organize the team,” said Spurs assistant coach Will Hardy, who is charged with leading the Summer League roster. “We’re going to put him in a lot of situations where he has the ball and he’s making decisions. He has to continue to find the balance of when to be aggressive for himself and when to make plays for his teammates.
“Tony has been good at that for so long, and it’s a big part of what has made our offense go. Tony’s ability to create for himself and create for his teammates, in Dejounte, we see that as being a similarity between the two. He’ll continue to figure out that balance.”
Murray has already shown signs that he will be up to the task. One day after the Spurs were eliminated from the postseason, he posted a photo to his Snapchat account showing he was back at the team’s practice site working on his game.
“Those Seattle guys,” said Hardy, referring to Murray’s hometown. “I don’t know what it is about Seattle. They are all hoopers. They’re all gym rats and love to play. They love to work. I still have yet to figure out what’s in the water out in Seattle, but he loves the gym.
Murray “loves basketball. He likes to work,” Hardy said. “And he knows he has to improve. He’s not where he wants to be. He’s not where we want him to be yet. But he’s on his way, and he knows there is a lot of work ahead.”
Murray is counting on his experience to aid him entering Summer League action. He played in 38 games last season, starting eight. He was challenged with his first career playoff start in the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets.
He finished with two points and two rebounds on 1 of 5 shooting in Game 3, but he bounced back in Game 4 (eight points and three rebounds) and then completed the series with an 11-point, 10-rebound, five-assist performance in Game 6.
After Summer League, Murray will head to San Diego to work out with Kawhi Leonard, an invitation he was more than happy to accept.
“He wants me there with him because he knows I want to get better and he knows how great I want to be,” Murray said. “He’s a great player, still adding to his legacy. If somebody invites me to get better, I want to be right there.”
Also on the to-do list? Speaking with LeBron James, who happens to share an agent with Murray.
Murray said he didn’t want to converse with James during the season, but he plans to talk basketball with the Cleveland Cavaliers star soon.
“That’s someone who took me under his wing and has been great to me,” he said.
The Summer of Murray has begun.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to continue to develop as a leader, organizer, decision-maker,” Hardy said. “He’s going to run the show. It’s his team for the summer.”