Rockets acquire KJ McDaniels for Isaiah Canaan, second round pick

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Report: Rockets looking to re-sign K.J. McDaniels, Kosta Papanikolaou<a href="http://t.co/Tz1brv2E6w" title="http://cbsprt.co/1H4Gitl" org_href="http://cbsprt.co/1H4Gitl">cbsprt.co/1H4Gitl</a> <a href="http://t.co/7slDluA8xy" title="http://twitter.com/CBSSportsNBA/status/612850606596722688/photo/1" org_href="http://twitter.com/CBSSportsNBA/status/612850606596722688/photo/1">pic.twitter.com/7slDluA8xy</a></p>&mdash; CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNBA/status/612850606596722688" data-datetime="2015-06-22T00:12:25+00:00">June 22, 2015</a></blockquote>
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I personally hope we keep KJ.

 

I feel he can develop into a very good backup for Harden.

 

the couldn't even spell kostas' name right or do a 2sec check to see he already has a contract

 

he could replace ariza in 2 years if he works hard enough on developing a 3 point shot and playing smart.

 

what kind of reporting is this? Rockets have already picked up the option for Kostas. I hope they do keep KJ McDaniels but when I read the part about Kostas it makes me think that someone just woke up and decided to post some generic update about the Rockets off-season without ever really talking to anyone.

 

Ariza would have to be traded for us to retain both these dudes. Papa's contract screams trade fodder.

 

but seriously?

 

The CBS Sports article is referencing a Feigen article that came out yesterday:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Rockets have changed, but their draft strategy/philosophy has not <a href="http://t.co/OsfHpsaarK">http://t.co/OsfHpsaarK</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonChron">@HoustonChron</a></p>&mdash; Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen/status/612678649196576768">June 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Here is the relevant and noteworthy quote directly from Rosas:

 

I think KJ might be a Sign & Trade filler with a bigger deal. K-Papa & T-Jones + Sign & Trade KJ might yield a nice player.

 

I really like KJ but it's gotta be at the right price. He's a back up at best for now, obviously he needs a year dominating D-League or a chance to actually play. Obviously without a playmaker, Harden HAD to play that many minutes. We need at least 2 more playmakers. Llull for one.

 

Really hope we don't lose him. He was one of the best rookies this year, but we'll see what the market determines. He's not a top priority on a contender, which is why I'm guessing he'll be gone when he commands a little more than we can spend and not sacrifice anyone else important. (Brew, Smoove, Bev, Llull)

The key is if Llull doesn't come over for the MLE, we should be able to find room for him and Josh in that. (I hope)

 

The only realistic way KJ comes back is at the QO. Anything above that and the Rockets are out of it based on wanting to retain Josh Smith and bring over Sergio which can only be done with non taxpayer mid-level money.

 

I think the smart move is to try to lock up KJ long term at a reasonable rate.

 

That's a great point.

 

How much can the Rockets take back in a S/T? There may be very little incentive for any team to do this, since they can offer him a reasonable contract and force Houston to match it. If Les does that, he will undoubtedly lose Smith.

 

^ IIRC, he can only make as much the other team could offer him any way. The new rules took away a lot of the utility of the S+T.

In this scenario, this would only be helpful if all three interests align (KJ, Rox, and other team). Also, it would only make sense if the large incoming salary requires us to send KJ out with a larger salary than his actual market value is.

Plausible, I guess

 

Yes, that and paying him part of the MLE. The latter option could jeopardize our chances of retaining Smith. I don't think Llull is going to be available for the MLE.

If the MLE is used to sign KJ, he can't be traded. I am not sure, if management can trade him at all.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

It feels too mucky and uncertain with so many other guys that I doubt we end up bringing him back.