Houston Rockets may sign Kyrie Irving if they miss on James Harden
The Hoston Rockets appear to be hunting for a superstar during the 2023 NBA offseason. The team is expected to make a run for James Harden, but they have a backup plan in place if they miss out on their former superstar. If Harden does not become a Rocket, the team may look to add Kyrie Irving.
NBA reporter Marc Stein announced that the Rockets ‘plan to weigh’ a run at Irving if they miss out on Harden.
“I have also heard that the Rockets, in the event that they are unable to lure Harden away from Philadelphia, and back to Houston, plan to weigh a run at Dallas’ Kyrie Irving,” Stein wrote. “The Mavericks remain the league’s only known team with definitive interest in signing the mercurial Irving next month, but league sources say that the Rockets have been increasingly cited as a team that could (stress: could) join the bidding if Harden elects to stay with the 76ers.”
The Rockets have the feasibility to make massive moves this offseasons. The franchise currently has a league-leading $59 million in cap space. This could allow the team to make Harden or Irving massive offers. Specifically, they would be able to offer either player a max contract.
Irving, an unrestricted free agent, will be one of the most notable players on the open market this offseason. The Rockets have positioned themselves as the first viable threat to sign Irving out from under his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.
It has also been speculated that a handful of other teams may be interested in Irving’s services. The main difference is that other potential suitors, the Los Angeles Lakers, for example, do not have the cap space needed to sign Irving. At the same time, the Mavericks have been unwilling to discuss an Irving-centered sign-and-trade. That greatly limits the number of teams that could add Irving.
It is far from a foregone conclusion that the Houston Rockets will actually attempt to sing Kyrie Irving. If they swing-and-miss on Harden, the team could look to add Irving. The keyword in that sentence is could.
At the end of the day, this may be a smokescreen. Since Houston leads the league in cap space, it is not unreasonable to believe agents would link their players to the Rockets in an attempt to get more money elsewhere.
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