The Houston Rockets are targeting Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova in the upcoming free-agency period as the team searches for a potential partner for All-Star shooting guard James Harden.
New NBA rumors are out that the Rockets, who lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs this season after reaching the conference finals against the same team in 2015, are in the process of overhauling their lineup in preparation for new head coach Mike D'Antoni's system for next season.
One somehow muted speculation that is currently circulating online is Houston's interest in the Cavs 6-foot-4 Australian enforcer, Dellavedova, who is still competing in the playoffs and awaiting for the winner of the Warriors-Thunder Game 7 match for the right to face Cleveland in the NBA Finals.
While Dellavedova's use is not immediately observed in the stats sheet, his value is apparent during live games where his hustle plays and gritty defense highlight his presence on the basketball court.
With that, Inquisitr reported that the Rockets are "possibly signing" Dellavedova this summer as Houston is "looking to retool their roster to fit superstar James Harden" with fellow All-Star Dwight Howard expected to leave the squad via free-agency.
The report mentioned that Dellavedova could be a better fit to Harden than current starting point guard Patrick Beverley because the Australian is more of an off-the-ball player than the former Arkansas standout.
While both Dellavedova and Beverley are aggressive defenders, the former is the better outside shooter and would be more comfortable waiting for Harden to give him the opportunity to handle the ball much like what he does with LeBron James in Cleveland.
Meanwhile, Fansided suggested that the best free agent for the Cavs to target this summer is Dellavedova.
Delly is set to finish his one-year deal with the Cavs this July when he will become a restricted free agent. Although there are not much rumors of teams who are eager to snatch his services away from Cleveland, he could be a target for teams looking to boost their backcourt defense.
The report also noted that Beverley would be better to play the role of a sixth man for Houston as he is a better playmaker than Delly. Beverley will be given more chances of orchestrating the second unit with Harden on the bench.