While saying nothing, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey seemed to say just about everything about the Rockets right now.

“It’s very hard to predict what will happen when things happen tonight,” said Morey.

Because of that unpredictability, the Rockets are preparing for numerous scenarios when the NBA free agency market officially opens tonight at midnight Eastern time.

The Rockets will make their pitch to the agent of LeBron James, though it looks like a near certainty that he will return to Miami. They will have Carmelo Anthony in Houston on Wednesday and are preparing to make a Dwight Howard-style presentation to him. They have made offers to Minnesota for Kevin Love and will continue to be in that mix. They also have been mentioned in reports as having interest in Pau Gasol and Luol Deng and some former Rockets as well — Trevor Ariza, Jordan Hill and Kyle Lowry (In fact, Morey and Kevin McHale met with Lowry in Philadelphia as free agency opened, according to Yahoo! Sports).

But the Rockets are trying to remain as flexible as possible until they have to commit to a certain direction.

They haven’t traded Jeremy Lin yet, likely knowing that they need to be more certain of the need for cap room since that deal will cost them additional assets. If they strike out in free agency, Lin’s contract would represent the one salary large enough to be used in a major trade. The pick they received in the Omer Asik trade could be a major trade asset.

That’s why I wouldn’t panic if the Rockets don’t land one of the Big Three (LeBron, Carmelo, Love) this summer. This was a very strong team last year that will keep their core intact and they are in a good enough position to make a quality trade and one or more signings as well.

Notes

• The Omer Asik trade was simply beautiful.

  Dave Hardisty Sports Talk 790 guest appearance with Lance Zierlein and Adam Clanton to discuss the Asik trade.

  Not only will the Rockets completely clear off Asik’s salary, but they reel in a very good draft pick in the process, one that is similar to the pick received from Toronto in 2012. When the Rockets traded Lowry for that pick, I compared it to swapping a gift card for cash. This is what the Rockets do over and over and over again — they flip a rigid asset that would be attractive to a small handful of teams for a more flexible one that would draw the interest of just about every team.

  Now holding that pick, the Rockets will be in the conversation with just about any rebuilding team looking to move a win-now asset for future considerations.

  Asik is a strong defensive center. He’s going to form a wall in New Orleans as the starting five next to Anthony Davis. But while Asik was a key defensive big for the Rockets, the team was 34-20 (.629 winning percentage) in games (including playoffs) where Asik played last season and 22-12 (.647) when he was out. He will be missed, but the role he played simply wasn’t big enough to move the needle that much.

  That trade was a big win on all three fronts (trade, draft and free agency) moving forward.

• Morey was asked multiple times in the Rockets press conference on Monday if he was confident that Alessandro Gentile, acquired by the Rockets on draft night, would be on Houston’s roster next season. I can assure you that, given the Rockets’ state right now, not even they know the answer to that question yet… and not just because they don’t have a commitment from Gentile.

  The Rockets are about to go through a big month of change and every player in their impressive stash of international prospects is a trade asset right now, according to a source with the team. I feel confident one of Sergio Llull, Kostas Papanikolau, Clint Capela and Gentile — the four best in the crop — will be dealt this offseason and I wouldn’t be surprised if two of them are moved.

  As to their view of the prospects, the team feels Llull, Papanikolaou and Gentile are all ready to contribute in the NBA right now. All three are too significant of players overseas to be able to join the Summer League squad.

• I’ve been encouraged by the Kevin Love possibility.

  Reports that Love shot down the possibility of re-signing with the likes of Cleveland and Phoenix seem to suggest some pickiness on his part, which could be to Houston’s advantage. The shorter his list, the better the chance Houston has of getting Minnesota to accept a deal.

  I originally wrote that to get Love it would at least take Parsons, and Yahoo! Sports reported this week that the Timberwolves have an interest in a sign-and-trade for Parsons if they can’t strike a deal with Golden State. But the word right now is that the Rockets plan on keeping Parsons and haven’t offered him in a Love swap. They’re likely trying to package every rebuilding asset they have to get Minny to bite, and the pick received in the Asik deal certainly helps in that regard.

  But is Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, the New Orleans pick, one or more of Houston’s picks, their choice of Houston’s international prospects and Jeremy Lin (salary) enough to beat out what Golden State can put together?

• I love the pick of Nick Johnson in the second round.

  There’s no telling how well a rookie will do in the NBA, especially out of the gate, but this kid looks like a gamer. His primary weakness — being a two-guard with a point guard’s body — is minimized in a lineup next to James Harden, a two who plays the de facto point guard for the Rockets.

  Meanwhile, his strengths fit perfectly. The Pac-12 Player of the Year is a tough, hard-nosed defender with excellent athleticism and a solid outside shot. He’s no stranger to big games, as Morey called him the “most productive player on the best team in the country.”

• The Houston Chronicle cited a team source last week saying that the “Rockets likely will receive only a future second-round pick for Lin, not a first-rounder like the got for Asik.”

  That seemed way off at the time and almost looked like the Rockets were fishing for a better deal through the media.

  Consider the market. Since then, the Atlanta Hawks traded Lou Williams, who like Lin has just one year left on his deal. The Hawks had to give up top prospect and 2013 first round pick Lucas Nogueira to Toronto to unload that salary and the Hawks didn’t completely clear the books. They got back John Salmons, who has $1 million guaranteed for the next season.

  Williams will make $5.45 million next season. Lin has a cap hit of $8.4 million and will actually be paid $15 million in salary next season.

  Lin’s marketability makes his situation a little more unique, but if the Rockets are able to trade Lin with no sweeteners for pure cap room and net a second-round pick in the deal, Les Alexander needs to erect a Daryl Morey statue in front of the Toyota Center.

  Toronto (if they lose Lowry), Orlando and Philly seem like possible destinations for Lin.

Cap room is king for the Rockets right now and that continued to be shown on Draft Night as the Rockets went the international route, selecting Swiss power forward prospect Clint Capela with the 25th pick of the NBA Draft Thursday night.

“It was really amazing, like a dream come true,” said Capela on how he reacted when he learned the Rockets drafted him. “It was like, awesome.”

The 6-foot-10 athletic forward averaged 9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22 minutes a game for Elan Chalon in France’s top pro league in 2013-14.

“We thought he had the highest upside outside of the top few guys in the draft,” said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who said that Capela’s 7′ 4.5″ wingspan was second only to Anthony Davis (who measured at 7′ 5.5″).

At just 20 years of age, Capela is an excellent athlete and finisher. He’s especially quick on the second and third hop and specializes in rebounding and shotblocking. In transition and on the pick-and-roll, Capela can be very impressive.

He has a lot of work to do, however. He must get stronger and add some bulk, and there have been questions about his work ethic, which you never like to see. But as an athlete and with his length, there is a tremendous amount of potential here. This isn’t an undersized four.

It’s not immediately clear if the Rockets will keep the pick through the free agency period, but there is no financial incentive to move it by itself. Since the Rockets can stash Capela overseas for a year or more, there will not be a cap hit until he does come over.

For his part, Capela expects — or at least hopes — to join the Rockets this coming season.

“I want to come this year and work hard here,” said Capela, who added that the Rockets are aware of that desire.

Morey felt Capela’s development timeline to join the Rockets was “probably a little bit down the road,” but he didn’t think it would take too long.

“He already was, you could easily argue, the best big in the French Pro A League at his age,” said Morey. “His ability to rebound, he’s super athletic — I don’t think it’s too far off where he’s helping the Rockets.”

As for Capela’s assessment of himself, he said he needs to work on his “physicality and mid-range shot” but he compares his game to Oklahoma City defensive menace Serge Ibaka.

“I’m a good rebounder. I can really run the floor. I can play tough. I can do this with regularity,” said Capela.

While Capela may be a year or two away from contributing, the highlights are intriguing. You get a feel for how his length and athletic ability could have a real impact.

The Rockets also drafted Arizona guard Nick Johnson in the second round.

The circus started on Tuesday as the news came out that LeBron James will opt out of his contract to become a free agent. While we’ve discussed the slim LeBron to Houston possibility for awhile, the speculation will only continue to increase as we head into the NBA Draft this week and free agency period in July.

While the Rockets can’t make their pitch until then, that didn’t stop point guard Patrick Beverley from putting his thoughts out there Tuesday night. The second-team All-NBA Defensive guard was on Fox Sports Radio with Jay Mohr and was asked what he would say to his former teammate about joining the Rockets.

“We would definitely love (for) LeBron to come to Houston. That would be phenomenal,” said Beverley, who played with James in Miami in 2010. “If we can make it work, we would definitely love for Carmelo (Anthony) and him to come here. That’s not up to me, but in an ideal situation… in Patrick Beverley’s world, that would be great for the Houston Rockets.”

Beverley, who admitted he has LeBron’s cell number, called the Rockets one of the “youngest, hottest teams” out there with two superstars and a “superstar in the making” in Chandler Parsons.

Here was the exchange and you can listen to the audio.

“Let’s say you’re on the phone with LeBron James. What would your sales pitch be for him to come to Houston? Why should he choose Houston over Chicago, the Lakers, or go back to the Miami Heat? Let’s do it. I’m LeBron. Sell me.”

Beverley: “You’ve got to understand, ‘Bron, we one of the youngest, hottest teams out there. We’ve got two superstars, and a superstar in the making in Chandler (Parsons). We’re the youngest, hottest team right now. That’s an easy question bro. Come on now. We’ve got one of the best coaches and one of the best, smartest GMs in the league, in my opinion.”

“Do you think (GM) Daryl Morey will let me play ping pong with him?”

Beverley: “If you come here, you can play anything you want with him.”

“Will I be able to travel with all my headbands?”

Beverley: “(Laughs) Yeah, no problem, bro. Anything you want, bro!”

“If I play for the Rockets, will I be the first option or is Harden going to be the first option? Who’s the first, second, and third option on offense?”

Beverley: “There are no options. We’re all about getting stops.”

…

“Guess what… I’m going to sign with the Houston Rockets!!”

Beverley: “Hey, I wish it was that easy man!!”

This will be Houston’s second go at pursuing Anthony in the past four years and our second Photoshop of Carmelo as a Houston Rocket

Player Overview

From the moment Dwight Howard arrived, the “stretch four” concept has both tantalized and eluded the Rockets. Despite elite defense from Omer Asik, the Rockets never found a consistent way to make their offense run at peak efficiency without a power forward with mobility and perimeter skills. That’s why Terrence Jones quickly played his way into the starting lineup, and why other players such as Ryan Anderson in New Orleans have been popular potential trade targets.

Along those lines, it would seem that probable free agent Carmelo Anthony — yes, the seven-time All-Star and 2013 scoring champion – has all the “stretch four” qualities the Rockets are searching for and then some.

In short, Anthony is a bonafide scorer who commands respect all over the floor and makes the game easier on offense for everyone around him. Though he turned 30 in May, his game doesn’t seem to be overly dependent on athleticism. Judging by PER and Win Shares, the Knicks forward turned in the two finest seasons of his entire career during the past two years. If anything, he seems to be making further improvements, including the highest 3-point percentage (40.2%) of his career in 2013-14.

By all indications, Anthony is likely to opt out of his contract by June 23 and become a free agent. The Rockets have reportedly gained “significant momentum” as Anthony’s preferred destination, now resting alongside Chicago on the top line.

Rocket Perspective

Before we delve too far into the fit, let’s start with the obvious: the Rockets are chasing a player who can be the “third-best player on a championship team”. Anthony, who averaged 27.4 points/game and 8.1 rebounds/game in 2013-14 for the New York Knicks, is clearly someone of that caliber.

For two consecutive postseasons against Oklahoma City and Portland, we’ve seen what Kevin McHale chooses to do when Houston’s back is against the wall. They go small, believing it’s the best way to maximize spacing and give James Harden room to operate. That’s the reason Harden and Chandler Parsons each spent considerable time guarding LaMarcus Aldridge this year, and why Parsons frequently picked up Serge Ibaka a season ago.

The main problem, of course, is that neither Harden nor Parsons is thick enough to hold his ground in the post and offer much resistance. Enter Anthony, who at 6-foot-8, 236 pounds and built like a bull, has actually proven to be a very capable post defender. He won’t remind anyone of Tim Duncan on that end, but he could mesh perfectly with how these Rockets want to play – especially with Howard available behind him for help. And on offense, especially in a half-court setting, his presence would lift them from being one of the best to a potential juggernaut.

While many discount Anthony as a ball-stopping scorer, take a look at how he has played in Olympic action and All-Star games when surrounded by top talent. In the 2012 Olympics in London, he set the all-time US record for points in an Olympic game (37), doing it in just 14 minutes (what?), and ultimately guided the team to a gold medal. Flanked by a similarly-talented roster in the 2014 All-Star Game, he hit eight threes to set an All-Star Game record. Those performances suggest Anthony would have the potential to thrive playing alongside an elite scorer such as Harden.

While it’s believed that the majority of his time in Houston would come at power forward, Anthony’s versatility with the forward spots could allow the Rockets to manage Parsons’ minutes more closely as well. Parsons averaged nearly 38 minutes/game during the season and 42 minutes/game in the playoffs – numbers that likely compromised his energy on the defensive end of the floor.

Conclusion

The Rockets do not have major cap room at the moment, but continue to operate as if trading Asik and Jeremy Lin for that space is a mere formality. They may not quite reach the level of space needed for Anthony’s full-max deal (almost $23 million), but Anthony is reportedly willing to make some financial sacrifices if it can be shown to him that it enables his new team to have a better supporting cast.

Anthony and his wife are said to love New York City as a home, and the Knicks can offer him a 5th year on his contract that other teams cannot. But Anthony’s rumored top priority is to win titles, and there’s little Phil Jackson can say this summer to prove the Knicks’ status as a near-term contender. Because of that, the perception in league circles is that Anthony is likely to depart, just as Howard did from Los Angeles a summer ago.

If the decision comes down to the Bulls and Rockets, the selling points for each will be evident. The Bulls will offer a slightly more glamorous city, a proven coach in Tom Thibodeau and a potentially easier path to the NBA Finals. The drawback, of course, is that much of Chicago’s plan depends on the health of Derrick Rose and his knees.

Meanwhile, the Rockets will offer a team with two superstars already in place, both healthy and close to the prime of their careers. Neither play Anthony’s position. And in Howard’s case, Anthony already signaled an interest in prior years to playing alongside him.

If Anthony’s top priority is truly winning titles – not merely advancing to the Finals courtesy of a weak Eastern Conference, or winding up in a glamour market – the Rockets have to like their chances.

 Clutch also contributed to this profile.

Player Overview

You could see this coming.

With Dwight Howard in tow, a need to upgrade at power forward and projected cap space in 2015, the Rockets could survey the NBA landscape last summer to see two elite power forwards in Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge (both free agents in 2015) in precarious situations. Both had the potential to sour on their current teams, with Houston in a good position to catch their eye.

While Aldridge and the Blazers took a step forward this past season, Love and the Timberwolves took a step back, and sure enough — Love wants out. Several reports suggest we could see a Kevin Love trade as early as next week’s NBA Draft.

A three-time All-Star who is just entering his prime at 25 years of age, Love averaged 26.1 points per game (#4 in the NBA) last season to go with 12.5 rebounds (#3 in the NBA), hitting nearly 38% from long range. The Wolves’ big man has averaged nearly 14 rebounds a game over the last four seasons.

So will this be the Summer of Love in Houston?

Rocket Perspective

Think about this: This is a player that scored more points per game than James Harden and grabbed more rebounds per game than Dwight Howard last season. From an offensive view, there is not a better match out there for Houston’s current needs than Kevin Love.

A legitimate power forward with terrific size (6-foot-10, 250 pounds) for the position, Love is an elite rebounder and a strong outside shooter for a big. He may be able to help fill some minutes as a backup center as well given that, in much the same way that Chandler Parsons can play the four, Love can play the five in smallball lineups.

A trio of Dwight-Harden-Love would be deadly dangerous on offense. The Rockets would immediately improve in a critical area where they took a step back last season — three-point shooting. Opponents would not be able to double Howard easily when he’s flanked by Kevin Love and opposing power forwards wouldn’t be able to consistently sag off their man and pack the paint against Harden drives, as Serge Ibaka does so effectively. Love would be the ultimate fit as Houston’s stretch four.

Defensively, well… they’d have a really good offense.

But even if Love fails to significantly upgrade the team’s man defense himself, his rebounding prowess could enable more shot-blocking and position help from Dwight Howard.

There is some history here that would make one think Houston has a chance at catching Love’s interest. Rockets coach Kevin McHale drafted and coached Love in Minnesota and they have a good relationship. Harden and Love also have a history of playing together, as Harden acknowledged here (1:00 mark of the video).

Conclusion

This is the one possibility out there that I think would cost the Rockets Chandler Parsons in a trade… as well as Terrence Jones and multiple draft picks. And even then, this looks like a long shot.

As it stands, it doesn’t appear that “winning big” is the only draw for the 25-year old as there haven’t been any reports of him balking at teams like Phoenix, Cleveland, New York, Boston and Los Angeles (Lakers), all teams that missed the playoffs last season just as Love has missed the postseason in all six of his NBA seasons. While it’s difficult to say with certainty, it appears that his minimum requirement is playing basketball in May rather than June.

While the Rockets would have to satisfy Minnesota with a trade, it is primarily Love himself that has the most control here. If he had Houston on a short list (and the shorter the better) of teams he would be willing to sign an extension with beyond 2015, the trade market would be smaller, giving Houston a better chance of satisfying Minnesota in a deal. Right now, the Rockets can’t compete in a broad trade market where top draft considerations and young players are king. Also, the heavy salary assets that the Rockets have to move in a trade (Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik) are overlap on a Minnesota roster that includes Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic.

Kevin Love is the ideal fit on one side of the ball for the Rockets, but unless they get very creative and move up in this draft — likely into the top 10, at a minimum — they may not be able to pull this off.