Festus Ezeli (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Houston Rockets may need to sign another rebounding big man over Dwight Howard's uncertain future with the team.
The Rockets are almost guaranteed to lose Howard to free agency this summer, with reports from ESPN's Calvin Watkins that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is expected to opt out on the final year of his four-year $87.5 million contract.
With Howard's likely departure, the Rockets would miss his 11.8 rebounds (8.4 defensive rebounds) per game, which is the most among the team's players. While the Rockets may have decent young big men in Clint Capela and Terrence Jones, neither of the two is considered a tenacious rebounder.
According to Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders, the Rockets are dead last in defensive rebounding during the 2015-2016 season, making the notion that the team needs to sign a big man who could crash the boards. Two possible free agents the Rockets could pursue are ZaZa Pachulia and Festus Ezeli.
"The Rockets were dead last in defensive rebounding percentage in 2015-16 so it would benefit them to invest in someone, even a cheap big, who could focus on crashing the boards. That could be Terrence Jones if he could stay healthy and continue his development, or someone like Festus Ezeli (who may be very expensive) or Zaza Pachulia if they don't want to play Capela a bunch yet," Saar wrote.
Pachulia played the final term of his three-year $15.6 million contract (from Milwaukee Bucks) with the Dallas Mavericks, where the 12-year NBA veteran had a career season, averaging 8.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Pachulia would provide the Rockets a force in the paint on both ends of the floor, while adding veteran presence for a team that has a young frontcourt lineup. Unlike Howard, Pachulia does not need too many touches to score, which complements well in James Harden's heavy isolation offense.
However, the Rockets may have a difficult time signing Pachulia for a bargain contract, considering how the 32-year-old center played well in the past season, although a projected maximum cap space of $41.2 million could put Houston as frontrunners to land the veteran big man.
On the other hand, Ezeli could also be a perfect addition to the Rockets' mix of young and veteran talents. Ezeli, who will approach the summer as a restricted free agent, averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while playing just 16.7 minutes per game during the regular season.
If given more playing time on the court, Ezeli could be a defensive presence inside the paint due to his athleticism and rim protection abilities. Luckily for the Rockets, the Golden State Warriors do not have much cap space to match max offers for Ezeli, although that could change if the defending champs decide to make room for the 26-year-old center.
The Rockets should be able to add key players, given the amount of money they have for the summer market. Surely either of the two aforementioned potential free agent targets would be a great addition to Houston's core.
