The Rockets have waived three players in advance of the regular season, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston, who tweets that the team has parted ways with forward Ray Spalding, forward Matur Maker, and guard Shamorie Ponds.
Spalding was recently claimed off waivers by Houston, while Maker – the brother of Pistons big man Thon Maker – signed with the team on Friday. Ponds, an undrafted rookie out of St. John’s, spent a little more time with the franchise, appearing in five games for the Rockets’ Summer League team and three games for the club this preseason.
All three players had non-guaranteed contracts, so the Rockets’ cap won’t be affected by today’s moves.
Houston now has 16 players under contract, including one (Chris Clemons) on a two-way deal. Four of the 15 Rockets players on standard contracts don’t have fully guaranteed contracts, but all four of those players – Ryan Anderson, Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ben McLemore – are ineligible for two-way contracts due to their partial guarantees or years of NBA experience. So if Houston intends to fill its second two-way slot, the team will have to look elsewhere.