Facing Friday's deadline to match the offer to keep James Posey or lose him to the Grizzlies, the Rockets reached a deal today with another defensive-minded small forward, free agent Adrian Griffin, sources familiar with the talks said.

Griffin, a veteran of four NBA seasons out of Seton Hall, averaged 4.4 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting for the Mavericks last season. Known more as a strong defender at small forward and guard, Griffin started 48 games for the Mavericks last season.

The addition of Griffin to Eric Piatkowski, Glen Rice and Bostjan Nachbar would seem to make Posey expendable, especially at that price with the Rockets' payroll next season expected to trigger a luxury tax.