NBA Rumors: Kyrie Irving Pursuit Eyed by Rockets If HOU Fails to Land James Harden

By most accounts, the Houston Rockets plan to make a serious run at signing James Harden this offseason.

But they also have a backup plan in mind, with NBA reporter Marc Stein reporting on Sunday that the Rockets "plan to weigh a run at Dallas' Kyrie Irving" if a reunion with Harden isn't in the cards.

He continued: "The Mavericks remain the league's only known team with definitive interest in signing the mercurial Irving next month, but league sources say that the Rockets have been increasingly cited as a team that could (stress: could) join the bidding if Harden elects to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers."

Stein added that other pending free agents that have been "linked to the Rockets" include Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, Brooklyn Nets restricted free agent Cam Johnson, Memphis Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks and both Milwaukee Bucks star wing Khris Middleton and veteran center Brook Lopez."

So clearly, Houston intends to speed up their rebuild via free agency this summer, which should create an interesting dynamic between the potential incoming veterans and a young core that includes Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr., among others.

Granted, some of those players could be sacrificed in trades to add more veteran talent if the Rockets are able to make a splash in free agency. It all promises to be a fascinating offseason in Houston.

Adding Irving would add a level of intrigue to the Rockets, no doubt. The 31-year-old remains both an offensive dynamo (27.1 PPG, 5.5 APG in 60 total contests between the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks last season) and a mercurial figure prone to finding his way into headlines for non-basketball reasons.

Given that Harden pushed his way out of Brooklyn while teammates with Irving in the 2021-22 season, it seems unlikely the Rockets would be able to convince the pair to join forces this summer.

And enough reports have linked Harden to the Rockets in the past few months that it seems like the organization is going to make a major push to bring him back to Houston.

But apparently, the Rockets have a backup plan in mind if Harden doesn't depart the Sixers, or goes another route in free agency. It's just a backup plan that has come with its share of drama in the past.