As expected, Steve Francis picked up his player option for the 2008-09 season, meaning he's under contract to the Rockets for next season.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey, speaking on local sports radio today, said the team has met with the injured guard.
"We met with Steve yesterday and he's doing really well on rehab," said Morey. "There's some hope that he'll come back full strength next year in training camp. We might be able to get some of the skills we were hoping that he could bring to the team."
Francis returned to Houston this season to much fanfare, but was a bust early on, coming to camp out of shape and nursing a knee injury. He worked his way into some playing time before cutting his season short to undergo knee surgery.
For months there hasn't been any doubt in the people that I speak with that Francis would pick up that option. At the same time, they have very little confidence that Francis will actually return to the court in a Rockets uniform.
However, Morey's comments do provide some hope.
At a minimum, Francis' roughly $3 million deal is another expiring contract for the Rockets to work trades with this offseason up until the February 2009 trading deadline. Bobby Jackson ($6 million), Luther Head ($2 million) and Steve Novak (less than $1 million) also fit the bill.
