The Rockets reached a verbal agreement with Clippers free-agent forward Eric Piatkowski on Thursday, finding a replacement for forward James Posey almost before the ink was dry on Posey's deal to jump to Memphis, according to league sources.

Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said Thursday that his pursuit of Piatkowski "looks pretty good." But it clearly is going better than that.

According to an NBA source, Piatkowski, 32, turned down another team's offer, telling that team's general manager he intended to sign with the Rockets. The Rockets' offer is expected to start at $2.5 million, roughly the amount they had offered to Posey. The offer would be worth about $8 million over three years, though it could include team options.

Dawson would not confirm that he has reached an agreement but said he is working to bring Piatkowski to town in an effort to complete a deal.

"I've been talking to him," Dawson said. "He's looking for a team. We're looking at our options. We talked about a lot of stuff."