Rockets Release Marcus Camby

MONDAY, 12:09pm: The Rockets have released Camby, the team formally announced today in a press release.

SUNDAY, 11:56am: The Rockets will release Marcus Camby on Monday, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. A torn plantar fascia tissue in his left foot has kept him out of action in the preseason, and he tells Mark Berman on Fox 26 Houston that he’s decided to have surgery next week to correct the problem (Twitter link). Feigen adds that the Rockets could look to re-sign him later this season once he’s healthy (Twitter link). The 39-year-old may also transition into coaching or player development with the team, as Kevin McHale would welcome him in any role, Feigen notes (on Twitter).

The move will help the Rockets pare their 17-man roster down to the 15-player regular season limit. Camby’s fully guaranteed salary will remain on the team’s books this season regardless of whether he signs another deal, providing no other team claims him off waivers. Camby will make the veteran’s minimum for players with 10 or more years of experience, which is close to $1.4MM, though Houston is only stuck with $884,293, the equivalent of the two-year veteran’s minimum. The league will pay Camby the rest, since he’s on a one-year deal.

The Rockets have 12 fully guaranteed deals aside from Camby’s, plus partially guaranteed contracts for Ronnie Brewer and Reggie Williams and fully non-guaranteed pacts for Patrick Beverley and Greg Smith. Beverley and Smith are key pieces for the team, so the Rockets figure to owe money to at least one more player who won’t be on the team’s opening-night roster. Aaron Brooks and undrafted rookie Robert Covington are guaranteed only the minimum salary this season, just like Camby, so perhaps they’re candidates to be waived, though that’s just my speculation.