Free agent forward Corey Brewer has agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal with the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Corey Brewer agrees to $24 million deal with Rockets, per report
The swingman is staying in Houston.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The expectation going into free agency was that Brewer would re-sign with the Rockets. Brewer said as much in his final meeting with the Houston media following the Rockets' Western Conference Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.
“I love playing here,” Brewer said of Houston, via the Houston Chronicle. “I hope we are back together. We made the Western Conference finals and hopefully everything works out and we are all back together next year.”
Brewer arrived in Houston last year after a mid-season trade involving the Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves, for whom Brewer was previously playing for. The 29-year-old forward gave Houston some depth off the bench. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 26.1 minutes in 56 games.
Brewer, the No. 7 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, struggled with his outside shot all season -- he connected on just 27 percent of his three-pointers -- but the Rockets did outscore opponents by 5.5 points per possession when he played, per NBA.com. When Brewer sat that number fell to 1.4. Most of the difference came on the defensive end, where the 6'9 Brewer can use his length and quickness to stifle perimeter players.
In re-signing Brewer the Rockets have insured that a key cog of their deep bench, which helped propel them to the Western Conference Finals, will be returning. The erratic outside shot is a problem, especially for a team that likes to shoot as many three-pointers as the Rockets, but Brewer gives Houston another plus defender, something that it can always use. He won’t be a difference maker, but his return will help the Rockets’ quest to return to the conference finals.
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