Forward Josh Smith will meet with the Houston Rockets on Monday to discuss the possibility of joining a team that is also chasing after Smith's childhood friend, Dwight Howard. NBA.com's Sekou Smith first reported the planned meeting.
NBA free agency rumors: Josh Smith to meet with Rockets
The Houston Rockets will speak with Atlanta Hawks free agent Josh Smith with hopes of pairing him with childhood friend Dwight Howard.
Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE
Reading between the lines, it appears Houston will consider pairing Howard and Smith together. The franchise by all accounts had a very good meeting with Howard, and Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan Feigen reported that the team would move forward looking for pieces to go alongside the free agent center. In other words, the Rockets are confident enough where they haven’t started openly chasing after backup plans.
The Dream Shake: More Rockets offseason rumors
Howard’s meeting with the Rockets didn’t include talk of signing Smith, according to HoopsWorld’s Yannis Koutroupis, but that was likely because they do not want to promise something to Howard that they don’t have yet.
Smith has other suitors, of course. He met with the Detroit Pistons shortly after midnight struck, and general manager Joe Dumars considers Smith a top priority, according to Yahoo! Sports.
The Atlanta Hawks seemingly will push for a sign-and-trade deal if Smith has plans to join a new team. For the Rockets, that could mean dealing center Omer Asik in exchange for Smith.
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