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Report: Rockets to sign free agent forward Thabo Sefolosha

Thabo Sefolosha, Jazz

The Houston Rockets will sign free agent forward Thabo Sefolosha, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. The deal will be for one year at the veteran’s minimum, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

At the wake of Iman Shumpert’s decision to turn down a contract offer, the Rockets front office immediately went to work in efforts to find another capable defender to come off the bench, ultimately landing on Sefolosha.

The 13-year veteran spent his last two seasons with the Utah Jazz, logging two starts in 50 games played in 2018-19. Known to be a defensive stalwart, Sefolosha took a major dip in his scoring production last season, putting up only 3.8 points in 12.2 minutes per game — his lowest scoring output since his rookie season while tying his lowest minutes allocation since his first year in the league.

The Rockets are likely to use the 35-year-old sparingly as well, taking Shumpert’s place in the rotation as a matchup guy to put on a team’s best player to reduce his all-around production.

Sefolosha, who played with the reborn duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden in Oklahoma City, is no longer the stopped he was in his heyday — but he’s still an athletic, fundamentally-sound cog that can provide some good minutes to a veteran squad preparing to take the Western Conference by storm.

That familiarity will play a role on that locker room’s chemistry, as well as some solid veteran leadership from a player that has lasted this long in the league.

The post Report: Rockets to sign free agent forward Thabo Sefolosha appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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