TUESDAY, 3:52pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
SUNDAY, 1:41pm: Restricted free agent K.J. McDaniels has agreed to a three-year, $10MM deal to stay with the Rockets, tweets Jake Pavorsky of Liberty Ballers. The deal does not include a player option, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link).
The Rockets used a portion of their mid-level exception to sign McDaniels, who claimed to have received a “strong offer” from another organization. Houston lost unrestricted free agent Josh Smith to the Clippers on Thursday. “But I’m too happy and too blessed and thankful to be back apart of #RedNation,” McDaniels tweeted after the agreement was reached.
“It’s a blessing and I’m happy to be a part of the Rockets franchise. I’m excited to see what happens,” McDaniels told Berman (Twitter link). “It means a lot. It just shows how much the coaches enjoy working with me, how much I enjoy working with them.” (Twitter link).
McDaniels was traded from the Sixers to the Rockets at the February deadline in exchange for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick. He barely played in Houston, appearing in just 10 games before suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right elbow in the season’s final regular-season game. McDaniels averaged 9.2 points and 3.8 points in 52 games with Philadelphia before the trade.
Yes and hell yeah ,man I really believe he is gonna be big big help for us . Somebody tell him to hit the gym and start working on his three point shooting because he’s already athletic and plays good defense .
How much playing time do you think McDaniels will get this season? He’s behind Ariza and Brewer on the depth chart, and even if you try to play him at the 4, he’s got to take minutes away from Motiejunas and Jones.
if this guy’s shooting improves, he’ll be a big piece on the wing for them. Even losing Josh Smith, McDaniels will allow their defense to not miss too much
That’s the question regarding McDaniels — can he make his mark in the league despite being subpar shooter? He rebounds and block steals unusually well for someone his size.