On the first day of the NBA's free agent negotiating period, Houston emerged as a potential landing site for Antoine Walker.

According to sources, the Rockets contacted Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein, and expressed interest in the power forward who returned to the Celtics in a trade this past February. Walker, in turn, showed interest in the Rockets and reportedly could be visiting Houston as early as next week.

Director of basketball operations Danny Ainge also contacted Bartelstein to reiterate the Celtics' interest in bringing back Walker. But assuming the Rockets are willing to spend their entire mid-level exception (approximately $5 million for one season), Walker could find Houston a more inviting option than the Celtics because of the Western Conference team's proximity to contending for a title.