Unrestricted free agent center Nene has agreed to join the Houston Rockets, reports The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Nene, Rockets agree on a 1-year, $2.9 million contract
Nene will have a chance to get minutes on a Houston team that lacks size.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Nene spent the past four and a half seasons with the Washington Wizards, where his health issues prevented him from being the borderline All-Star he had been in the past. In his time in Washington he never played more than 67 games in a season and never came close to crossing the 2,000 minutes threshold. That's simply not good enough for a player that was counted on to start and provide consistent production.
The Brazilian center is almost 34 years old, so expecting him to be healthy doesn’t seem realistic. Now that he’s with the Rockets, however, he won’t be a featured player. As a third big man, he could still have value, especially on defense. Nene remains one of the league’s strongest players, so he can hold his own in the paint, and his length allows him to be a decent rim protector. In a small role, he could help.
Nene is entering the last stage of his career, so it’s understandable he didn’t receive a lot of interest earlier in the free agency process. As a last resort, the Rockets could have done a lot worse.
See More:
