No NBA games have taken place since Sunday’s All-Star Game in Charlotte, but a flurry of contract signings have been completed in recent days — teams that dipped below the roster minimum at the trade deadline have added players to ensure that they’re back up to the 14-player minimum within the two-week grace period.
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While the Hawks, Kings, Raptors, Knicks, Suns, and Heat have signed players to reach the NBA-mandated minimum, one team still has just 12 players under contract (not counting two-way deals). That team is the Rockets, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets that Houston isn’t planning to add any players today.
The Rockets’ roster count went from 15 to 12 on trade deadline day when the team shipped out James Ennis, Nik Stauskas, and Wade Baldwin in a pair of salary-dump deals. However, according to Feigen (via Twitter), because it took so long for the NBA to clear its post-deadline queue of trades two weeks ago, those deals weren’t considered official until February 8. That means Houston has one more day to add two players and increase its roster count to 14.
It’s not clear yet how the Rockets intend to fill those two roster spots. Like other teams with luxury tax concerns, they may opt for 10-day signings as short-term fixes. That would also give the team some time to assess the buyout market and see if any other desirable targets shake loose within the next week or so.
Danuel House, who used up all of the NBA days on his two-way contract with the Rockets, is also still a candidate for a promotion, but he and the team have been unable to agree to a contract (we examined their stalemate last month) and I wouldn’t expect that to change by tomorrow. If Houston ultimately decides to unilaterally convert House’s two-way deal into an NBA contract, it’s more likely to happen later in the season.
House is probably the favorite. I could see Kaminsky as an option if bought out by Charlotte.
Agreed, I think House will be signed soon enough.
I really doubt that House will be unilaterally converted to a regular NBA contract (1 year) until much later, if at all. I also doubt he and his agent will capitulate and sign the multi-year deal the Rockets previously offered, as it will drive home to the player that the agent’s advice cost him lots of $$ and a rotation spot.
Since, tax-wise, the Rockets have 1 real bullet to add a player right now for the rest of the year on a standard contract, I think they’ll look for a vet out there that can thrive in MDA’s system (most do). House is still under his 2wc, and available to play after the G-league years is over (which is tax free until converted).