The Rockets have reduced their training camp roster to 18 players, announcing today that B.J. Young has been released, according to Jason Friedman of Rockets.com (Twitter link). The team will have to cut at least three more players before opening night to get down to 15 players, the regular season limit.
Young, 20, went undrafted out of Arkansas in June after deciding to forgo his remaining two years of NCAA eligibility. The Rockets inked him to a deal in July, guaranteeing him $40K in his rookie year, but the team ultimately opened camp with more than 15 players on fully or partially guaranteed deals, so at least one of those players needed to be cut. Young represents the first camp casualty for Houston, though perhaps he'll end up with the club's D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
With Young no longer in the mix, the Rockets figure to land on a 15-man roster that includes some combination of their 13 guaranteed players, their two partially guaranteed players (Ronnie Brewer, Reggie Williams), and their three non-guaranteed players (Patrick Beverley, Jordan Henriquez, Greg Smith).
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