Lakers Rumors: Houston Rockets have interest in Paul George

Recent Lakers rumors are that the Houston Rockets have interest in Paul George also this offseason.

As the offseason gets closer, recent Lakers rumors are that the Houston Rockets might be players for one of the players the Los Angeles Lakers would like to pursue.

Since Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson have taken over the Los Angeles Lakers, they have been focusing on building their young core and creating cap space to pursue elite free agents. So far, the front office has accomplished their goals, and the Lakers will be able to go after max-level free agents this summer.

One of the players that the Lakers will be going after hard is Paul George. Last offseason, the Lakers reportedly tried to trade for George before he was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, things didn’t go well for the Thunder, as they were eliminated in first round by the Utah Jazz.

Since the Thunder fell way short of expectations, there is a wide belief that George will be heading elsewhere as a free agent this summer. While the Lakers are certainly a possibility, the Houston Rockets are also reportedly interested.

According to Kelly Iko of RocketsWire.com, the Rockets will likely pursue George if they fail to lure LeBron James to Houston.

Since the Rockets have Chris Paul, who is a good friend of James, that could be an appealing destination for him if he were to leave Cleveland. Creating cap space for the Rockets this offseason would be a challenge but not entirely impossible for the Rockets.

While the Lakers appear to be the favorites for George, they will likely have to battle some other appealing destinations in order to land him. As a team that came just one game from the NBA Finals, the Rockets would be a great landing spot for James or George if they are able to create the necessary cap space.

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This summer will surely be full of rumors and excitement with great players like George and James likely to be available. While the Rockets might not have the cap space readily available like the Lakers do, they could be a sneaky player in free agency this offseason.