Subscribe
Follow Us
It's been a busy offseason for the Houston Rockets, headlined by their blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a package centered around Jalen Green. Additionally, the Rockets have made some savvy lower profile signings, including poaching Dorian Finney-Smith away from the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
Recently, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported on some of the other names the Rockets were rumored to have interest in prior to signing Finney-Smith.
“Before signing Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency, the Houston Rockets pursued a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Dean Wade, sources said,” reported Siegel. “Houston was willing to offer Wade a full MLE extension over the next few seasons, the same deal that Finney-Smith ultimately got, if they were able to finalize a trade with Cleveland.”
Siegel also reported that “when the Cavaliers declined this trade involving Wade and the Lakers' fallout with Finney-Smith made its rounds across the league, the Rockets quickly moved on to the veteran two-way wing and offered him a four-year, $52.7 million contract,” and that these talks had occurred shortly before the NBA Draft.
Dean Wade, similar to Finney-Smith, is a floor spacer at the wing position who is versatile defensively and can knock down perimeter shots with consistency.
Still, Houston has to be happy about what they came away with in this offseason, as the Rockets now look poised to legitimately compete with the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder for supremacy in the Western Conference.
It's been a long time coming for the Rockets, who were one of the NBA's worst teams in the wake of 2020's James Harden trade but have put together a smart and quick rebuild around Alperen Sengun and a host of other young and talented players.
In any case, the Rockets' 2025 NBA schedule is slated to be released at some point in August.
