The Boston Celtics could sign Golden State Warriors backup center Festus Ezeli, while the Houston Rockets are rumored to make a run at Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency.
Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal listed the likely free agent signings for each NBA team this summer, and among the names involved is Ezeli and Anderson heading to Beantown and Clutch City, respectively.
The Celtics would probably chase after the likes of Hassan Whiteside and Al Horford this summer, with the team having plenty of salary cap space to sign either of the two top free agents. But if the Celtics miss out on the bigger fishes, they could pursue an alternative in Ezeli.
While Ezeli heads into the summer market as a restricted free agent, the Celtics could offer him a salary large enough for the Warriors to match, according to Fromal.
"But Festus Ezeli is a cheaper option, even if he's a restricted free agent who the Golden State Warriors could choose to retain. Offer him a large enough salary, and the C's can likely poach him away, asking him to shut down the restricted area while finishing a few plays around the basket," Fromal wrote.
Ezeli would be a nice addition to the Celtics' young frontcourt lineup, with the 26-year-old center having the athleticism to finish around the rim and defend well inside the paint. Ezeli has only averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds, while playing 16.7 minutes per game during the regular season. But if given more time on the court, the 6-foot-11 center should be able to add more numbers to his averages.
Meanwhile, the Rockets could move on from the power forward experiments they had in recent years and sign Anderson, a modern PF who can help space out the floor for a team.
According to Sporting News' Sean Deveney, pursuing Anderson would be a "possibility" for the Rockets this summer as the team tries to surround James Harden with talented pieces.
Anderson has had an up and down stint with the Pelicans in the past two seasons, starting only 12 of 127 games played during that time span. But despite having limited time off the bench, Anderson still averaged decent numbers, primarily this season with 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 42.7 percent from the field.
Yoni Pollak of Sports Illustrated's Fansided claimed the Rockets have been in Anderson's mind entering free agency, with the center being aware about his involvement in trade rumors prior to the Feb. 18 deadline.
With Dwight Howard expecting to leave the Rockets in July, the Rockets should have an urgency in pursuing talented big man to fill the void at the center position. Anderson may not be a defender, but his offensive prowess should still see him a fit in Houston.