Rockets Rumors: 'Houston Maintained Extreme Interest' in Luc Mbah a Moute

The Houston Rockets reportedly "maintained extreme interest" in forward Luc Mbah a Moute this summer before he pulled out of a verbal agreement to attend team minicamp.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic updated Mbah a Moute's status with the Rockets after the veteran changed his mind about trying out for the team. Iko noted that the Rockets attempted to bring him back last season before he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, and they pursued him this summer, albeit with some concern regarding his health.

Mbah a Moute was limited to four games last season due to a knee injury. He also had shoulder problems with the Rockets during the 2017-18 season, when he averaged 7.5 points and 1.2 steals in 25.6 minutes per game.

The Rockets invited a number of veterans to minicamp, including Nick Young, Thabo Sefolosha and Corey Brewer. They came to an agreement with Sefolosha last week in the hopes he can provide some spark as a wing defender. The 6'8", 230-pound Mbah a Moute likely would have played a similar role and is more capable of defending 4s—a weakness in Houston's current roster construction.

The Cameroon native remains unsigned after backing out of his verbal with the Rockets and has not received much interest on the free-agent market. It's likely he will have to sign a non-guaranteed deal or wait for an injury to crop up during the regular season to find work.

The 33-year-old has played for six teams since being taken in the second round of the 2006 draft out of UCLA.