Houston has injuries and needs some help but failed to land the former three-time All-Star.
The Houston Rockets reportedly met with three-time All-Star swingman Ben Simmons but lost out on him when he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons reached a buyout agreement with the Brooklyn Nets and then went and met with several teams, inlcuding the Houston Rockets, before eventually settling on L.A.
Newly bought-out Ben Simmons will meet with the Clippers, Cavaliers and Rockets today, league sources tell me.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 7, 2025
Simmons was in the final year of a massive five-year, $177.2 million deal with Brooklyn in which he vastly underpeformed, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists with the Nets this seaspn. Not exactly what you’re looking for out of a $40 million per year player.
He would have fit in with the Rockets due to the number of injuries Houston is currently facing and would have been a decent option at back up point guard, particularly with Fred VanVleet out, but the Rockets also need long-distance shooting, and that’s been one of Simmons’ biggest weaknesses for his whole career, as he’s hit just a total of five three pointers over seven seasons.
Simmons now heads to L.A. to once again play with former Rocket James Harden, as the Clippers are jockeying for position in the Western Conference with the Rockets. Houston currently sits in fifth in the west, with the Clippers 3.5 back of Houston and in sixth.
This means that with Houston GM Rafael Stone only making minor moves at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Rockets will need to continue to search the buyout market if they want any help this year.
Tell us if there’s anybody you’d like to see the Rockets target down the stretch in the buyout market.