When the Houston Rockets did not pick up Chandler Parsons’ team option, it turned him into a restricted free agent this summer.
This gives the Rockets the flexibility to pursue high-profile free agents like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony while having the power to match a Parsons offer sheet in case they don’t get any big fish on the market.
It also gives the Rockets an opportunity to use him as a trading chip for a potential sign-and-trade for Kevin Love.
Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears reports that if the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t acquire Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors in a deal for Love, they might look at working a sign-and-trade with the Rockets involving Parsons.
Depending on what happens with Thompson, Love could find himself in Houston. That means the Rockets’ front court would be pretty dominant with Love and Dwight Howard in the paint.
Either way, Parsons will turn out to be a winner after all of this. Rather than earning a little less than $1 million next year, he’ll likely get a big deal after a strong season where he averaged 16.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc.
