Rockets Emerge as Potential Suitors for Kyrie Irving

By: Marselis Davis

After the Dallas Mavericks missed the 2023 NBA Playoffs, their star shooting guard Kyrie Irving entered free agency. To this point, there have been highly uncertain speculations as to where he will end up next season. Given that, the primary speculations surrounding Irving’s future were that he would either join the Los Angeles Lakers or he would re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks. However, there is growing speculation that the Houston Rockets may target Irving during the offseason.

James Harden’s Future 

Much of the Rocket’s interest in Irving hinges on one factor: what James Harden will do over the offseason. James Harden is currently on the Philadelphia 76ers and suffered his fifth consecutive second round exit since 2019. Harden had previously taken a pay cut in his contract with the 76ers last offseason when he signed a short term $69 million deal for two years. After a brutal Game 7 blowout loss to the Celtics this postseason, Harden now has a player option for the 2023-2024 season and if he chooses to decline the option, he will also become a free agent. 

There have been numerous reports and rumors that Harden wants to return to the Rockets. Some of these rumors were even present while the 2023 season was still active. During the season, Harden had openly denied rumors of his considerations to return to the Rockets. However, after another disappointing playoff exit for Harden and the 76ers, the reports are stronger than ever. The Rockets are hoping to acquire Harden this offseason, but if they fail to acquire him, then the franchise plans to pursue Kyrie Irving. If the Rockets do add Harden this summer, then Irving will not likely be signed by Houston. The Rockets have the cap space to acquire Irving, so they are certainly a possible destination for him next season.

Kyrie’s Fit on the Rockets

How Irving would fit on the Rockets is a rather interesting question. The Rockets are still in the midst of a rebuild since Harden’s departure in 2020. It seemed as though the franchise was planning to build around their backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.. Given this, it is rather interesting as to why the Rockets would want Irving in the first place. Irving is a star caliber guard who is a far more polished and talented player than Green or Porter Jr.. It would be interesting to see how Houston would plan to use Irving since they already have two young guards leading the team. Irving’s presence on the team could have the potential to stifle the development of Green or Porter Jr.. While the timeline between Irving and the Rockets’ core players seems disconnected, perhaps Houston has a deeper plan. Perhaps the team may be planning to move on from one of their young guards to make room for Irving.

It would also be interesting to see if Irving has any interest in playing for a rebuilding franchise. Irving would likely seek to be on a roster that has at least some plan of title contention rather than a team that is just seeking to creep into the playoffs. If Irving ended up on the Rockets, he would likely be out of title contention for the foreseeable future. Then again, the Rockets may be seeking to make a quick swing at a star free agent in order to make a rapid run at title contention.

In order to have a better idea of how serious the Rockets are about signing Irving, Harden would need to make a decision with his player option first. Depending on what he does, there is a good chance that the Mavericks will have to compete with the Rockets to sign Irving this offseason.

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