The Rockets GM once tried to commission an Etch-A-Sketch drawing from an ESPN writer in an effort to land a free agent

Pat Sullivan/AP

The Houston Rockets have built a lot of their recent success by breaking down traditional theories and doing things differently than most teams. That apparently also extends to pitches to free agents.

Mina Kimes is a writer for ESPN the Magazine and a regular panel member on ESPN’s “Around the Horn.” She also has become known for one of her hobbies: drawing athletes on an Etch-A-Sketch.

Kimes was a guest on “The Dan Le Batard Show” on Thursday and explained that her artwork caught the attention of Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.

“I’ve been Etch-A-Sketching for a while as a hobby, and I do athletes during games, or whatever. I’ve been doing it for two or three years. So, a couple of years ago, at least, I would post them on my Facebook. And I think I posted one of Richard Sherman, or something, probably, and I got a Facebook message … When I saw Daryl Morey’s name in my Facebook messages, I did not immediately recognize him. And I didn’t know why we were friends. Apparently he just friends a lot of journalists on Facebook. Very nice guy from what I hear. So he messaged me and said, ‘Hey Mina, I really loved your Etch-A-Sketch of Richard Sherman. Do you think you could help me by doing one to entice a free agent to come to Houston?'”

Kimes went on to explain that Morey actually offered to pay for the artwork but that she had to turn him down because her bosses wouldn’t allow it. As a result, she says she never found out who the free agent was.

Kimes, in addition to being a talented writer, is also quite the artist. Here is a recent example of her work.

As Le Batard and his crew noted, it is hard to imagine an Etch-A-Sketch being the detail that seals a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. But we have also heard too many stories about how these deals can fall apart over the smallest perceived slight. So anything to show a player that they are wanted and loved could be big.

You can listen to Kimes tell the story here: