The Houston Rockets’ best free-agent signings ever

You might be surprised to think of the six-year, $48 million deal that Taylor signed in 2001, but this is in reference to the one-year pact that was signed as a minimum the summer before. Taylor averaged 13 points and 5.5 rebounds that year and formed a dynamic scoring combination with Steve Francis.

Jimmy Jackson was one of the most dangerous scorers in the league in his younger days, but when he signed with the Rockets in 2003, his impact was primarily as a veteran influence and on the defensive end. Jackson averaged 12.9 points per game. game and shot 40 percent from three, but was eventually traded away in 2004-05 to slide Tracy McGrady over to small forward.

In 2017, the Rockets signed Luc Mbah a Moute to a one-year deal at the vet minimum. He was instrumental in the success of a team that went on to win 65 games, a long-armed versatile defender who fit perfectly into a defensive system that changed everything. I’ve called his postseason unavailability that year one of the most underrated injuries in Rockets history.

Okay, okay, I know you thought the scope of this piece was free agency in the traditional sense. But an in-season pickup is technically also a free agent, and there hasn’t been a better one in franchise history than Eddie Johnson. You no doubt remember Johnson’s infamous buzzer beater to win Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Did you know he erupted for 31 points in Game 3 to help the Rockets avoid a 3-0 deficit?

After the Rockets traded away their starting court (Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley) in the trade to land Tracy McGrady, they signed Bobby Sura to a deal estimated at just over $3 million annually to slide in at point guard next to T- Mac. While healthy for just one season, Sura averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists, adding toughness to the lineup and serving as the team’s enforcer. He quickly became a fan favorite and was sorely missed the following season as the team plummeted in the standings.

I cited Ariza’s first stint with the team as one of the franchise’s worst signings ever; his second was one of its best. Signed to a four-year, $32 million contract in 2014, a big reason the 2014-15 Rockets dominated and won 56 games (despite losing key players) was because of Ariza. His defensive versatility was paramount to the team’s success, and offensively this time he was given a role that suited his strengths.

PJ Tucker signed a four-year, $32 million contract in 2017 and stayed with the Rockets until the 2020-21 rebuild. In many ways, he was the heart and soul of the Harden-led contending teams from the time when his ability to guard multiple positions was a hallmark of the team’s defense. The 2017-18 Juggernaut team broke out when Tucker replaced Ryan Anderson in the starting lineup.

It’s forgotten that in 1996, after the blockbuster acquisition of Charles Barkley, the Rockets acquired another big man in a move that went under the radar at the time. With the money freed up from shipping four players in the trade, the Rockets signed Willis to a modest deal to back up Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon on Houston’s impressive front line. While Willis had a productive season in 1997, he became one of the best deals in basketball the following year, averaging 16.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

The actual signing of Dwight Howard was the biggest free-agent acquisition in Rockets history. At the time, in 2013, when the 27-year-old signed a max contract with Houston, he was still the best center in basketball and arguably one of the top 10 talents in the sport. It felt unthinkable that he would leave the Lakers to come to Texas.

The actual results are subject to debate. Howard should lift the franchise to new heights alongside James Harden by serving as the anchor of its defense and forming an unstoppable pick and roll combination. But the two stars never quite got along. Over three seasons, Howard averaged 16.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. The team reached the Western Conference Finals in Howard’s second season (2014–2015), but Howard appeared in just 41 games that year and was limited in the postseason due to a shoulder injury. After winning 54 and 56 games in Howard’s first two seasons, the Rockets won just 41 games the following year and it was time for the marriage to end, with management deciding it was time to pass the torch to the younger Clint Capela .

This selection may come as a surprise, as many might have expected Howard to claim the top spot. But for me, Gordon takes the title of best free-agent signing in Rockets history due to a combination of longevity, versatility and impact in high-leverage moments. Gordon was originally signed in 2016-17 to a four-year, $53 million contract, outlasting even James Harden as the only surviving member of that era.

During six and a half seasons with the Rockets, Gordon played whatever role was asked of him, whether it started at point guard (in place of an injured Pat Beverley), at small forward (in Mike D’Antoni’s small-ball lineup) , by shooting or by coming off the bench. He consistently played his best basketball in the postseason, one of Houston’s most reliable players in its rivalry with the Golden State Warriors. He was a calming veteran influence in the wake of the Harden trade, on a rebuilding team trying to find its way. For these reasons, Eric Gordon takes the top spot.