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There's no two ways about it: the addition of Kevin Durant makes the Houston Rockets one of the most exciting teams in the NBA.
Suddenly, a team that finished second in the Western Conference with a scrappy collection of free agent additions and homegrown draft picks found their Superstar headliner, and they didn't even have to give up much to do it, keeping almost all of their picks while only saying goodbye to Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks.
Now Green was long considered the most expendable member of the Rockets' young core, with a streaky offensive game that could occasionally dazzle but just as often leave fans wanting more. But Brooks? While far from a star, his size, defense, and shot made him a key rotation piece on more than a few teams over the years, and the Rockets would be wise to replace him before the season begins one way or another.
Could that come via trade? Sure, as Shams Charania of ESPN reported, the Rockets may be willing to move Villanova product Cam Whitmore if they can bring back a Brooks-type player in a prospective deal. But even if they can't, Houston could still find someone who checks many of the same boxes in free agency, even if they lack the same ferosity that has made Brooks into a player unpopular with every fanbase but that of the team's he's currently playing for, including a supersized frontcourt presence who has yet to reach his NBA ceiling.
Chris Boucher is an underrated free agent
While the Rockets technically have access to the full non-tax midlevel exception this summer, as Bobby Marks pointed out during his breakdown of Houston's team-building avenues, if they use more than $5.7 million of that figure, they will be hard-capped at the first apron, with an inability to go over the $195.9 million limit at any point during the season.
Because of this limit, players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, one of the hottest names in free agency, likely won't be gettable for the Rockets, as some team with more room to work with will almost certainly swoop in and make him an offer he can't refuse. Other players, like Brook Lopez and Clint Capela, could theoretically be at play, but in the end, they too could end up earning more than $5.7 million, especially with teams like the Lakers on the hunt for big bodies at the center position.
No, if the Rockets are going to add a quality rotation player for just a little more than the veteran minimum, they are going to have to find a player who is either coming off a down year or hasn't quite hit his potential as a pro, two boxes Chris Boucher checks after a career spend almost exclusively with the Toronto Raptors.
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Originally landing in Golden State on a two-way contract, Boucher signed with the Raptors and never looked back, playing in 406 of his 407 regular season games in a Red and Black uniform. Showing an ability to play any frontcourt position at the NBA level, Boucher hit his high-water mark during the 2020-21 season, where he averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game while playing 24.2 minutes of action a night.
While Boucher never hit that mark again during the post-Nick Nurse era, he still proved a solid enough depth piece for Toronto, averaging 8.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17.6 minutes of action per game, thanks in no small part to an underwhelming 2023-24 season. Still, in 2024-25, Boucher had his second-best season as a pro, averaging 10 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 17.2 average minutes per game, while hitting 36.3 percent of his 3-pointers on career-high 3.9 attempts per game.
When Boucher signed his current contract, a three-year, $35.25 million deal back in 2022, the NBA was a very different place. It was before the new CBA, when more teams were willing to pay over $10 million a year for a veteran reserve, but now? Especially with Masai Ujiri out of Toronto, Boucher might just be on the move, with that $5.7 million figure right around what he could sign for when free agency opens up.
Chris Boucher fits what the Rockets need in a reserve
Standing 6-foot-9, 200 pounds with long arms and plus athleticism, Boucher fits what teams are looking for in a backup big man who can play up and down rosters. While most teams won't place him up against a supersized center like Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns, he can certainly produce as a backup center in small-ball lineups, especially on speedy lineups that can thrive on the fast break.
On a team like the Rockets, who have multiple players capable of playing center both traditional, like Steven Adams, and non-traditional, like Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun, Boucher could fit a positon versatile role in Houston's frontcourt, with an ability to switch on defense, block shots one play, and move in transition on the next.
Boucher also presents a unique ability to slide up a lineup if Ime Udoka wants to match up with some of the biggest rosters the Western Conference has to offer, be that the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were able to play small or large, depending on whether they play Chet Holmgren with or without Isaiah Hartenstein on the court. When his shot is falling, Boucher can play either wing spot all the way up to shooting guard, all the while proving tough defense, switchability, and length in a conference filled with supersized playmakers who can score.
Pairing up a player like Boucher with Tari Eason, Jae'Sean Tate, Amen Thompson, and KD could allow for maximum optionality, all the while giving Udoka the ability to mix and match his lineups based on what their opponents have to offer, instead of having to play the other team's game.
Is Boucher a perfect player? No, he never quite became a starting player in Toronto, even when their roster wasn't particularly good, and likely won't become one at the tender age of 32. But for a team like the Rockets that needs to replace Brooks' size, shot, and versatility coming off the bench, Boucher could be an ideal replacement at just under $6 million per season, giving them much of what they lost with Durant added to make the team all the more explosive.
