NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets would have signed Carlos Boozer if he had cleared waivers

The Los Angles Lakers were awarded Carlos Boozer after they placed a $3.25 million bid in the power forward’s amnesty auction.  However, if the Lakers, and every other team with cap space, had not put in a claim for Boozer and the 32-year-old cleared waivers, the Houston Rockets believe they would have signed him.

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From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

"Had Boozer, who was made an amnesty waiver by Chicago this week, not been claimed, the Rockets would have moved in to land him as a free agent.The Rockets had reason to be confident they would have been his choice, a person with knowledge of their planning said, though they considered it unlikely he would clear the bid process.The Rockets did not put in a bid for Boozer because to bid, they would have to have cap room."

While Boozer is no longer the player he once was and would not at all help fix the Rockets’ defensive issues, he averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds this past season and would have been worth a flier on a veteran’s minimum’s contract because of his offensive ability

Still, as Feigen notes, the chances of no team playing a bid on Boozer were always extremely low, so it’s not as if this signing was ever a realistic possibility.

Houston has struggled to acquire many of its targets this offseason, and Boozer is just the latest example.