Houston Rockets

Report: Houston looking to bring back K.J. McDaniels

Published Jun. 22, 2015 11:10 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Houston Rockets acquired rookie K.J. McDaniels from the Philadelphia 76ers for Isaiah Canaan and a 2015 second-round pick at last year's trade deadline. At the time, it felt like a fair enough deal, if not a win for Houston.

McDaniels has freakish athleticism and showed he can play multiple wing positions on defense. But his shot is broken, and there's no way he can be a full-time rotation player on a good playoff team unless it gets fixed. But the Rockets want to be the team that turns McDaniels into the All-Star caliber player he can potentially be.

According to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, GM Daryl Morey is interested in bringing back the 22-year-old swingman this summer:

"K.J. McDaniels will be a free agent, but the Rockets hope to sign him...But Morey said he would not hesitate to add two more first-year players, even if the Rockets keep all of last season's rookies. 'We're not worried about how many young players we have,' Morey said. 'I think it's good to have a mix of veterans and young players.'"

He's a restricted free agent, so Houston can match any offer sheet it gets. But how much is too much? The Rockets are presumably interested in clearing enough cap space to sign a third All-Star, and doing so means they need to be careful about who gets guaranteed money.

McDaniels is far from a sure thing.

(h/t: Houston Chronicle)

Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports