Uduka misses the chance to coach Smart again, the Rockets only have basic salary left, the Clippers thank Harden

The Rockets previously traded Whitmore to the Wizards, only two second-round picks. Some fans speculated that the Rockets might have signed after the Wizards bought out Smart.

Uduka missed the chance to coach his favorite player Smart again. Famous reporter Shams confirmed that Smart and the Wizards will join the Lakers after completing the buyout, with a new contract of $11 million for two years.

The Grizzlies wanted to trade upward from Klingen before last year's draft.

At that time, many American media mentioned that the Grizzlies were interested in trading and got the No. 3 sign of the Rockets. Head coach Uduka is very interested in Smart and hopes that he can come to the Rockets to play.

At that time, the famous NBA reporter Mark Stern believed that the Grizzlies might use Smarter's No. 9 to exchange for the No. 3 draw among the Rockets. But NBA reporter Kevin O'Connor revealed that the Grizzlies are not willing to put Smart in the trade negotiations. The Rockets eventually gave up the idea of trading the No. 3 pick and they brought Shepard back to Houston.

Shepard's defense cannot meet Uduka's requirements, and he did not have many opportunities to play last season. Smart is Uduka's favorite defender, and his defense is very strong. Smart has won the league's best defensive player and was selected into the best defensive first team three times and won the best fighting award three times.

Rockets general manager Stone wanted to win the present, and he traded Durant in the offseason and left behind Van Jordan and Adams that Uduka liked. Some Rockets fans also hope to sign Smart with basic salary.

Smart played 15 times for the Wizards last season, averaging 9.3 points and 2.5 assists per 19 minutes per game, shooting percentage of 44% and three-point shooting percentage of 39.2%. His offensive efficiency looks pretty good. Compared to his peak, Smart did decline, with an annual salary of 21.34 million yuan, but he will definitely not lose money by signing him with a basic salary.

The Rockets' salary space is limited after a series of offseason operations, and only the basic salary is left. But Smart couldn't bear to pay the basic salary, he wanted more. The Lakers offered an annual salary of more than $5 million, and Doncic personally came out to recruit, which can be said to be full of sincerity.

In contrast, the Rockets are obviously not competitive. Not only can they not open a contract that can satisfy Smart, they cannot guarantee his playing time. According to the contract details exposed by the US media, Smart's second year of contract is the player option. He should want to play a good performance in the new season and then fight for a better contract next summer.

Rockets management wants to train Shepard as a substitute point guard, but his performance in the summer league is not satisfactory. Some Rockets fans hope Stone can sign Paul and Shepard to join the side. Shepard once revealed that he had trained with Paul before the draft and learned useful things.

However, Paul seems unwilling to go back to the Rockets to play. NBA reporter Ary revealed that Paul plans to join the Clippers.

Previously, many American media believed that the Houston Rockets were the big winners of this offseason, and they built a team that can compete for the championship in the new season.

Now the Clippers' book strength is no less than that of the Rockets.

The Clippers actively strengthened this offseason, and the inside, front and back lines have been strengthened. Clippers President Lawrence Frank publicly thanked Harden in an interview. Frank said Harden's salary cut was the only reason why the Clippers were able to sign Bill and Lopez: he was willing to sacrifice part of his playing style and part of the interests in the contract.