NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 potential destinations for Will Barton

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets reacts during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

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HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 22: Will Barton #5 of the Denver Nuggets dunks against the Houston Rockets on November 22, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Houston Rockets

The Rockets have all eyes on LeBron James and Paul George. They want to be great. They want to win championships now. They want to upend the Golden State Warriors. They also once envisioned a triumvirate of James Harden, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh. Only two thirds of that vision came into being. If the Rockets do not land all the players on their wish list, they will have to settle for lesser talents.

They are also the kind of team, who are already paying Harden and Paul, that might be willing to pay others in the belief that spending equals winning. The team is desperate. Being so close makes it so.

Barton most likely comes into play if the grandest delusions do not and if players like Trevor Ariza are lost in the shuffle. What the Rockets are likely to pay Ariza and what Ariza wants to be paid are not currently the same figures. However, Houston might be willing to adjust the numbers for a younger and more offensively talented player, a player who could, if an old Point God were to come up lame, be slotted at any guard or wing spot in the lineup.

Barton would not be Houston’s top choice, and Houston is likely not his either. Contingencies are a part of life, though.

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