Pursuit of Kyrie Irving Viewed as Fallback Plan if Rockets Don’t Land James Harden

Should the Rockets fail in their attempts at a reunion with 76ers guard James Harden, they could try to make a run at Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Irving is entering free agency and Harden is expected to do the same, as he can opt out of his current contract. Harden, it seems, would be the Rockets’ preference, and it’s been reported he will indeed weigh a return to Houston.

But if that doesn’t happen … well, the target apparently could become Irving.

Based on multiple reports, the Rockets want to put together a competitive roster under new coach Ime Udoka. Landing a Harden or Irving would theoretically be a good start. But for now, it seems as if it’s little more than a dream. Irving, it is believed, is likely to return to Dallas.

Then again, neither scenario — Harden to Philadelphia or Irving back to the Mavs — is a foregone conclusion.

Houston is armed with loads of cap space this offseason, and again, intends to use it to bring in immediate reinforcements. Along with that, the Rockets are said to be open to trading their No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

It’s not known if Irving has an interest in Houston, though. As we relayed here, he’s said to be trying to get the Mavs to explore a trade for Lakers star LeBron James.

Basically, NBA free agency is just a few weeks away, and as we always say at this time of year, stay tuned.