Over the course of their history, the Houston Rockets have been lucky enough to be the home of plenty of dominant big men, so it's unsurprising that trend extends to their best free agency signings too. But while Dwight Howard and Dikembe Mutombo are unequivocally among the best free agents this franchise has ever signed, they've picked up plenty of quality smaller guys along the way, too. Beginning with one who somehow managed to fit into both categories, these are the eight best free agency signings in a Rockets' history which doesn't include all that many great ones.

8. PJ Tucker (2017)

PJ Tucker signed with the Rockets in 2017 on a four-year deal, a period which would see the Harden-led incarnations of this side go agonizingly close to an NBA Finals appearance. Let's be honest – there's not a whole lot Tucker can do with the ball in his hands, but he more than makes up for it with his tenacity and defense, as evidenced by the 6'5″ hybrid's ability to guard anyone from centers to guards. Indicative of his importance was the impact he had on the 2017-18 edition of this team which went so, so close to beating the Warriors and making the NBA Finals, with his move to the starting line-up to replace Ryan Anderson benefiting the team in a big way.

7. Kevin Willis (1996)

Kevin Willis played just two out of 22 seasons with the Rockets, but he was a valuable player in that time and was a key contributor in a team that went to the Western Conference Finals. In his first season with the team, Willis averaged 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, while the following season that jumped up to 16.1 points and 8.4 boards. Playing behind a couple of guys called Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon, Willis was never going to be more than a back-up for this team, but he was required plenty in the second season of his stint in Houston courtesy of injuries to both of those more highly touted stars.

6. Rick Barry (1978)

In terms of overall career accolades, Rick Barry was right up there in terms of free agency signings, but of course, most of those accolades came during his nine total seasons with the Warriors. By the time he signed with the Rockets in 1978, Barry was 34 years of age and well past his prime, but he still played a decent role in a team that won more than 40 games in the two seasons that he was there. In his first season in Houston, Barry averaged career-lows in both points and rebounds with 13.5 and 3.5 respectively, but he demonstrated his innate basketball ability by balancing that out with 6.3 assists per game – the most of his career. Barry was no world-beater by the time he made it to Houston, but for a team with relatively few high-quality free agency signings over their history, the role he played for them is enough to have him in the top handful that the Rockets have made.

5. Lewis Lloyd (1983)

Lewis Lloyd showed some signs of promise during his second season in the league with the Warriors, but it was after he signed with the Rockets in 1983 that he truly began to make his presence felt. Lloyd averaged 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his first season with the team, though the team wasn't very successful, winning just 29 games. That all changed when they drafted a guy named Hakeem Olajuwon. With Lloyd continuing to play a key role, that team won 48 games the next season and then 51 in 1985-86, with the latter of those teams making its way through to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics. At just 28 years of age Lloyd appeared to have plenty of years left in his career, but unfortunately he was given a two-and-a-half year suspension by an NBA with a strong drug policy after he tested positive for cocaine. He came back and played 21 more games after that – 19 with the Rockets – but it was clear that the game had sadly passed him by.

4. Jeremy Lin (2012)

Interestingly, Jeremy Lin was actually waived by the Rockets without playing a game in 2011, after which he went on to play for the Knicks in 2011-12 – and we all remember what happened next. Linsanity ensued and Lin catapulted into international fame, and it was a big win for the Rockets that he chose to sign with them in the following off-season. His career with the team wasn't quite as impactful as many would have hoped – he averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists in his first season with them and 12.5 points and 4.1 assists in the second, before he left for the Lakers and then bounced around the league for a few years. But despite that relative lack of impact, Houston doesn't exactly have brilliant free agent signings jumping off the page, and the hype which surrounded Lin when he signed – more so even than what he did on the court – makes him one of this franchise's best.

3. Dikembe Mutombo (2004)

By the time Dikembe Mutombo signed with the Houston Rockets he was pushing 40 years old, but he'd been an All-Star as recently as two seasons prior and would go on to play for five years with the Rockets. Of course, he wasn't the dominant defensive force the league had come to know and love throughout the course of his career, and he predominantly came off the bench during his stint in Houston, but he was loved by fans throughout the city and was able to put up some pretty handy per-36 numbers despite his advanced age – including 2.5 blocks and 12.5 rebounds. Though he was a long way past his best, Mutombo joined the list of elite centers who have played at the Rockets, and his popularity alone made him one of the better free agency signings the Rockets have ever made.

2. Eric Gordon (2016)

After eight seasons with the Clippers and Pelicans, Eric Gordon put pen to paper for the Rockets in 2016 in a move which would bring the franchise seven years of long-range bombs, underrated athleticism and veteran leadership. Gordon averaged over 16 points in four of his first five seasons with the Rockets and 14.4 in the other, and was an important part of the aforementioned James Harden-led team which four times in a row made their way to a Conference Semi-Final, and once went so, so close to making it through to the NBA Finals. After Harden left, he hung around and helped guide the team through the initial phases of its lengthy rebuild phase, demonstrating his importance as a teammate both on and off the court during what was a really valuable tenure with the Rockets.

1. Dwight Howard (2013)

This was unequivocally the biggest free agency signing that the Rockets have ever had, and though it didn't exactly go to plan, Howard was still a massive pick-up for the team. When he signed as a 27-year-old in his prime, Howard was the best center in the game, having made the All-Star team in seven consecutive seasons – the first six with the Magic and the most recent with the Lakers. A walking double-double and an absolute force on the inside, this massive man every year averaged close to 20 points and 14 rebounds, and the Rockets were clearly hoping for something similar in what could have been an unstoppable partnership with Harden. They got something resembling his best in his first season with the team when he was once again an All-Star, averaging 18.3 points and 12.2 boards that season, but they were knocked out in the first round. The next season they made the Conference Finals, though Howard played a limited role due to injury – though he was still productive enough when on the court. He bounced back to play 71 games the next season and averaged 13.7 points – on a huge 62% shooting no less – and 11.8 rebounds, but things just weren't quite clicking for the team and he was subsequently palmed off to the Hawks. But even if things didn't quite go to plan, signing Howard was as big a get as the Rockets have ever had in free agency, and though his tenure there was relatively short and not as successful as hoped, he had plenty of impact in Houston.