Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Edey, Rockets Preseason, Branham, Wesley, Williamson

October 6th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zach Edey, 3-point shooter? The former Purdue big man only attempted two shots beyond the arc during his illustrious college career and made one. The Grizzlies don’t want their lottery pick to feel like he’s restricted to the paint as a pro. He participated a 3-point shooting contest during an open practice on Sunday and showed a good stroke.

“When it’s opportunities to be out on the perimeter, whether it’s trailing the play or he just so happens to kind of move himself out there, I want him to feel like he’s got the green light,” said coach Taylor Jenkins, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t want to restrict him by any means. I want to see what he’s capable of.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets will play two preseason games in three days, facing the Jazz on Monday and Thunder on Wednesday. They’re viewing those contests as a measuring stick to see how much progress they’ve made during training camp, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I just want to go out, play hard, win, win the preseason games and get good momentum going into the season,” Jalen Green said. “The same way we’re playing here, we have to go out and play there.”
The Spurs have an Oct. 31 deadline to pick up the contract options on guards Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley for the 2025/26 season. Wesley admits the pressure is on to perform well in training camp and if those options aren’t picked up, they’ll be looking at free agency next offseaason. “Everybody knows it’s a contract year,” he told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. “We’re trying to win, trying to get better. There’s a lot of pressure.”
After losing starting center Jonas Valanciunas in free agency, the Pelicans didn’t bring in an obvious replacement. New Orleans will employ smaller lineups, mainly with Zion Williamson as the de facto center, quite often this season, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune writes. “The fact of the matter is we are going to have a ton of games where we don’t have a traditional center on the floor,” coach Willie Green said. “That’s going to happen. We have to get accustomed to playing that way for a good bulk of the game.”

Southwest Notes: Grimes, LaRavia, Sheppard, Castle, Barnes

October 5th, 2024 at 9:15am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Mavericks acquired young guard Quentin Grimes this offseason, providing him with a change of scenery that brings him closer to his hometown of Houston, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News writes. Grimes believes his skill set can help a Dallas team looking to head back to the NBA Finals.

“I feel like with the unselfishness and the amount of freedom everybody has, I’ll be able to show more like how I did in New York,” Grimes said. “Whenever somebody was down and injured, I was always able to show more of my offensive game.”

Grimes has a history of helping playoff teams. In his second season in the league with the Knicks, he averaged 11.3 points per game while making 66 starts. In his nine playoff appearances, he started six games and helped New York reach the second round. However, injuries and inconsistent shooting led to Grimes being traded from New York to Detroit, and he was rerouted again to Dallas this offseason.

The Mavericks got plenty of help on the wing this offseason, adding Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall alongside Grimes. Curtis writes that Thompson has taken Grimes under his wing through training camp and that the former could serve as a model for the latter.

“I’ve been trying to talk his ear off the whole time,” Grimes said of Thompson. “I shoot with him almost every day after practice. He’s just been a really good mentor for me, just telling me little things about my shot and how to get easier shots off pin-downs. They call it the ‘Klay action’ for a reason. Just learning from one of the greatest shooters to play is going to only elevate my game.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia has been one of the primary standouts of training camp, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes (subscriber link). The Wake Forest product was part of an up-and-down 2022 Grizzlies draft class that also included David Roddy, Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams. LaRavia didn’t play many minutes his first season and didn’t dress much at the beginning of 2023/24, but he played 28.5 minutes per night across his final 24 appearances last season, averaging 14.1 points and making 36.4% of his 5.5 three-point attempts per game.
Fred VanVleet was a common draft comparison for what Reed Sheppard could do in the NBA, so it’s only fitting that the two ended up on the same team. Now, as Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle writes, VanVleet is serving as a mentor for the Rockets‘ rookie. “He was talking the whole time, just encouraging me,” Sheppard said. “He’s been great. A great leader and a great role model, for sure.“
Spurs rookie No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is turning heads this summer, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “He never gets rushed or sped up or anything,” teammate Tre Jones said. “He goes at his own pace.” Chris Paul was also complimentary of Castle’s demeanor and how he was coached in college.
Harrison Barnes has been at the center of the Spurs‘ chemistry-building efforts this offseason, according to The San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Orsborn. He’s been organizing dinners with the team and trying to lead younger players by example. “Camaraderie off the court feeds into how we play on the court,” Barnes said. “Guys have been great communicating with the group chat and with dinners we have done. That is going to bode well for us down the line.“

Eight Teams Who Could Emulate Hornets As Trade Facilitators

October 4th, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The new rules in place this season for NBA teams operating above either tax apron dictate that those clubs are prohibited - in most cases - from taking back more salary than they send out in a trade.

That restriction will make it difficult for two teams operating above the apron to make a trade with one another, but the Knicks and Timberwolves provided a blueprint with this week's Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster for one way it can happen -- find a third team to take on some extra salary.

In the Towns trade, the Hornets acquired approximately $6.8MM in salary from the Knicks without trading away any themselves, which allowed both Minnesota and New York to send out more salary than they took back in the deal. Charlotte received three second-round picks - two from the Knicks and one from the Wolves - for their troubles.

That's not the only way for two apron teams to trade with one another, but it's the most straightforward path, particularly in bigger deals like the Towns one. With that in mind, it's worth considering which teams around the NBA are the best candidates to be the next Hornets, acting as facilitators in deals involving two clubs facing apron-related restrictions.

There are essentially three characteristics that make a team an ideal candidate to be a third-party facilitator in this sort of trade:

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Luke Adams
Join exclusive weekly live chats with Arthur Hill
Remove ads and support our writers.

And-Ones: 2025 Draft, Snell, G League, Garuba, Parker

October 2nd, 2024 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2025 draft class is stronger at the top than 2024’s class was, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link), but there still isn’t a clear-cut No. 1 pick in this group like there was in 2023 with Victor Wembanyama.

Cooper Flagg has long been viewed as the best bet to be next year’s top pick, but that’s not yet a lock, Givony writes, putting the odds of the Duke forward coming off the board first at just slightly above 50%. Rutgers wing Ace Bailey is Flagg’s top competition at this point, per Givony, who has Bailey’s odds of going No. 1 at 25%. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, and French guard Nolan Traore are also in the mix for the first overall spot, Givony adds.

“I’m going into this year with an open mind about who the No. 1 pick might be,” one NBA executive told ESPN. “This is how mistakes are made: getting anchored to an opinion and then closing yourself off to new, much more important information that we’ll be receiving in the coming months seeing how the season plays out.

“I need to see if Cooper Flagg is indeed a No. 1-type offensive option who can be expected to carry a team at some point in his career, or if he’s more of a superstar role player who is better suited as your second- or third-best player. Every year there are surprises, new players pop up and others take an unexpected leap.”

Mock drafts from last fall illustrate that potential for in-season surprises. ESPN’s November 2023 mock had Isaiah Collier first overall, Ja’Kobe Walter fourth, and Reed Sheppard 25th — they were eventually drafted 29th, 19th, and third, respectively.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Nine-year NBA veteran Tony Snell, who last played in the NBA during the 2021/22 season, will join the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League this fall, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Heat‘s affiliate will need to acquire Snell’s returning rights from the Maine Celtics, the team he played for last season. Snell won’t be signed to Miami’s preseason roster at all, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets) traded Jarrett Culver‘s G League returning rights to the Osceola Magic in exchange for Jared Butler‘s rights, per the Vipers (Twitter link). Culver is with Orlando on an Exhibit 10 contract, so it appears he’ll play for the Magic’s G League team this season. Butler remains under contract with the Wizards and would need to be waived and sign an NBAGL contract for Houston’s affiliate to take advantage of his rights.
Speaking to Eurohoops’ Javier Molero and Alex Molina, respectively, former NBAers Usman Garuba and Jabari Parker expressed that they’re comfortable no longer playing in the league. Garuba, who returned to Real Madrid this summer after three seasons with Houston and Golden State, said his NBA experience wasn’t quite what he expected and that he’d be “more selfish” if he were doing it all over again. “I left as a kid and grew up,” said Garuba, the 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft. “I had a lot of ups and downs and learned a lot of lessons over there. I got traded, I got cut, I saw a lot of things, the dark side of the business. I think that made me mature a lot as a player.”

“Legitimate Chance” Rockets, Sengun Will Agree To Extension

October 1st, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s a “legitimate chance” that the Rockets and big man Alperen Sengun will agree to terms on a rookie scale contract extension by the October 21 deadline, a source with knowledge of the negotiations tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sengun expressed a desire to get a long-term deal done.

“We’ve been talking,” he said. “I want to get the contract, and (the Rockets are) trying to negotiate with us and we’re trying to negotiate with them. So, it’s been good. We’re going to make it work. We still have time, you know, and hopefully we can make it work.”

Sengun, 22, enjoyed a breakout season in his third year in the NBA in 2023/24, finishing as a Most Improved Player finalist. He averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 32.5 minutes per game across 63 outings (all starts).

While those numbers make Sengun a strong candidate for a lucrative extension this fall, there has been a belief that the Rockets may prefer to wait on a new deal, since doing so would allow them to maximize their cap flexibility. The Sixers took a similar approach last offseason with Tyrese Maxey, putting off a new contract until this summer for cap reasons. After using up their cap room this summer, the 76ers were able to go over the cap to re-sign Maxey using his Bird rights.

If he’s a restricted free agent next summer, Sengun would have a cap hold of approximately $16.3MM, approximately three times his 2024/25 salary of $5.42MM but still well below his potential first-year salary on an extension. He could earn a projected maximum of up to $38.7MM in 2025/26.

Fellow 2021 first-rounder Jalen Green is also eligible for a rookie scale extension up until October 21. He downplayed the urgency to reach a new deal with the Rockets.

“That’s not really the focus right now,” Green said. “Whatever happens, obviously I want to be here. But the main focus is the season. The main goal is (making the) playoffs. That’s where the focus is.”

Besides Sengun and Green, 18 other players are eligible for rookie scale extensions this fall. Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, Cade Cunningham, and Evan Mobley have already signed them.

Rockets Sign Thon Maker, Markquis Nowell To Exhibit 10 Deals

October 1st, 2024 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are signing big man Thon Maker and guard Markquis Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to Kelly Iko and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deals are official, the team confirmed in a press release.

The 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Maker appeared in 263 total regular season games for the Bucks, Pistons, and Cavaliers from 2016-21, but hasn’t been on an NBA roster since being cut by Cleveland in January 2021. The 7’0″ center played for Hapoel Jerusalem in 2021, the Fujian Sturgeons in China from 2022-24, and Al Riyadi Beirut in Lebanon this spring.

Maker, 27, averaged 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 13.8 minutes per game during his five NBA seasons, posting a shooting line of .435/.327/.680.

A 5’7″ point guard, Nowell spent most of last season on a two-way contract with the Raptors after going undrafted out of Kansas State in 2023. He appeared in just one NBA game for Toronto before being cut in March, but played for the Raptors 905 before and after his release, averaging 14.4 PPG, 8.7 APG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.9 SPG in 22 games (31.9 MPG) for the G League club. His shooting line was .411/.366/.781.

The Rockets had a pair of openings on their 21-man training camp roster, so no corresponding cuts were necessary to bring Maker and Nowell aboard.

While Houston also technically has an open spot on its projected 15-man regular season roster, Maker and Nowell seem more likely to end up playing for the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Vipers acquired Nowell’s returning rights in a four-team trade this week. If Maker and Nowell are waived by Houston and then spend at least 60 days with Rio Grande Valley, they’d earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $77.5K.

And-Ones: NBAGL Trades, Extension Candidates, Woj’s Replacement, More

October 1st, 2024 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

Toronto’s G League affiliate – the Raptors 905 – has made a pair of trades in recent days, including a four-team deal that sent Kennedy Chandler‘s returning rights to the 905, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). As we noted recently when the NBA’s Raptors signed and waived Chandler, their G League team still needed to acquire the guard’s rights in order to get him on the 905’s roster this fall.

That four-team trade also saw the Long Island Nets acquire Au’Diese Toney‘s returning rights and a 2025 first-round pick, the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans) acquire Trhae Mitchell‘s returning rights, and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets) land the rights to Devin Cannady and Markquis Nowell along with a 2024 first-round pick.

In the 905’s other trade, the Raptors’ affiliate sent Koby McEwen‘s returning rights to the Windy City Bulls in exchange for Evan Gilyard‘s rights, tweets Murphy.

Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies five of the most interesting extension-eligible veterans to keep an eye on this fall, singling out Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, among others.
Who are the candidates to replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN’s top NBA insider? According to reporting from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, while big-name NBA reporters like Shams Charania and Chris Haynes are possibilities, it’s also not out of the question that one of ESPN’s other top news-breakers, such as Jeff Passan or Adam Schefter, could end up in the role. Marchand says Passan is a candidate to switch from MLB to the NBA, while McCarthy suggests it’s not out of the question for Schefter to take on a dual role covering the NFL and NBA.
In an in-depth Insider-only article for ESPN, Bobby Marks takes a look at all 30 teams’ training camp rosters and examines the key dates and deadlines coming up for each of those clubs.
Taking into account their projected regular season win totals, John Hollinger of The Athletic picks five teams he expects to exceed expectations in 2024/25, including the Cavaliers, Suns, and Pistons.

AJ Griffin Explains That Retirement Was A Spiritual Decision

September 30th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Rockets forward AJ Griffin confirmed that his sudden retirement from the NBA was a spiritual decision, BasketNews relays. “I feel like letting go of basketball is allowing me to go into full-time ministry and truly serve the Lord with all my heart, with all my time too, as well,” Griffin said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I’m just excited where that leads me.”

Texas Notes: Klay, Doncic, Adams, Rockets

September 29th, 2024 at 4:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban recently spoke with Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast (Twitter link) about a variety of topics, including Klay Thompson‘s to depart the Warriors for Dallas in free agency.

“Klay Thompson’s got a lot to prove,” Cuban said. “Klay was ready for a move. All the grief he got last year – particularly the way it ended. So the timing was right.”

Thompson agreed to a three-year, $50MM deal with Dallas as part of a six-team sign-and-trade.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

Five-time All-NBA Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has had a busier-than-normal offseason in 2024. Since guiding Dallas to its first NBA Finals appearance in 13 years, Doncic suited up for the Slovenian national team for the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, but was eliminated by Greece before making the cut. Doncic subsequently remained in his homeland to prep prior to the Mavericks’ own training camp, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details at his Substack (subscription required).
Veteran Rockets center Steven Adams didn’t suit up for Houston last season while recovering from a right knee surgery he underwent while he was a member of the Grizzlies. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle explores how the 31-year-old will be deployed in Ime Udoka‘s system in 2024/25. As Feigen writes, Alperen Sengun enjoyed a breakout run last year and seems likely to preserve his starting spot, and he and Adams likely won’t play together often. Still, Adams – who is on an expiring $12.6MM salary – could earn increased playing time in certain matchups.
The Rockets finished with a solid 41-41 record, but in a talented Western Conference it wasn’t enough to even make the play-in tournament. Instead, Houston finished with the West’s No. 11 seed. As Feigen writes in another story for The Chronicle, team owner Tilman Fertitta hasn’t clearly expressed what would constitute a successful season for the club in 2024/25, declaring that he has “high expectations” but not explicitly stating that he expects a playoff berth.

And-Ones: G League Trade, Brissett, Future Power Rankings, Lowe

September 27th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ and Pacers‘ G League affiliates have completed a trade involving a former No. 3 overall NBA draft pick, per a press release from the Valley Suns. Phoenix’s new affiliate acquired the returning rights to guard David Stockton from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to forward Garrison Brooks and former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor.

Brooks and Okafor were among the Suns’ picks in June’s expansion draft, but it’s unclear if either one intends to play in the G League at all in 2024/25 — they both competed overseas last season.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Free agent swingman Oshae Brissett is believed to be drawing interest from a EuroLeague team, according to a report from Sportske.net. As Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays, the Serbian outlet says that the Belgrade-based club Crvena Zvezda has its eye on Brissett as a potential target. The five-year NBA veteran, who won a title last season with the Celtics, has been on the lookout for a new home since he turned down his player option with Boston in June.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link) have published the latest installment of their annual “future power rankings,” which are based on each team’s projected on-court success for the next three seasons. The Thunder top this year’s version of the list, while the Celtics drop from No. 1 to No. 2 despite their 2024 championship, since their salary cap situation may get untenable in the near future. The Knicks (third) Sixers (fourth), Mavericks (fifth), Rockets (seventh), Timberwolves (eighth), and Spurs (10th) each rose five or more spots to claim a place in ESPN’s top 10.
Howard Beck of The Ringer sorts the NBA’s 30 teams into six separate tiers based on how clear their plans are going forward. The Nets and Wizards, in full-on rebuilds, are among the teams in the “ever-clear” top tier along with championship hopefuls like the Mavericks and Sixers, while clubs with less obvious goals, like the Hawks, Bulls, and Raptors, find themselves in the lowest “fun-house mirror” tier.
ESPN has laid off senior writer Zach Lowe, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Lowe is the second noteworthy NBA reporter to depart the network in recent weeks, joining Adrian Wojnarowski, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from the news industry last week.