Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets To Add Brodric Thomas Via Exhibit 10 Contract

November 19th, 2020 at 6:22pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Undrafted Truman State guard Brodric Thomas will join the Rockets, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. An Exhibit 10 contract, the deal can only become official once the 2020/21 season starts.

During his 2019/20 season with the Bulldogs as a redshirt senior, the 6’5″, 185-pound guard averaged impressive numbers for his DII program: 20.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.8 SPG. He also took home Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team award honors.

Thomas will now compete for a position on the Rockets’ regular season roster in training camp. The Rockets roster could continue to undergo more major changes this offseason, as All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook both appear to have requested trades.

Rockets To Pick Up Option on David Nwaba

November 19th, 2020 at 4:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets will exercise their $1.824MM option on reserve guard David Nwaba, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Nwaba was signed to a two-year deal prior to the restart but it’s uncertain whether he’ll be playing healthy enough to play at the start of next season. He began last season with the Nets but suffered a torn Achilles tendon in December and was waived shortly thereafter.

The Rockets gave Nwaba $900K, much greater than a minimum salary at the time, as he continued his rehab last season and attached the team option. However, it’s uncertain whether the new front office regime views him as a rotation piece and wants to have his salary handy to facilitate a trade.

Nwaba is consider a strong perimeter defender. He averaging 5.2 PPG on .521/.429/.667 shooting in 13.4 minutes per contest in his 20-game stint with Brooklyn. He previously appeared in 141 total games for the Lakers, Bulls, and Cavaliers, dating back to 2017.

Atlantic Notes: Horford, Simmons, Embiid, Harden, Celtics Draft

November 19th, 2020 at 3:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers created an $8.6MM trade exception in their agreed-upon deal that will send Al Horford to the Thunder, John Hollinger of The Athletic reports.

That’s significant, as Hollinger points out, because the front office will not have a full mid-level exception to offer in free agency since the club is in luxury tax territory. The exception can be used in a sign-and-trade this offseason or – more likely – a direct trade for a player under contract.

New president of basketball operations Daryl Morey promises he’ll make some roster moves via the free agent route, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “They’re going to be some additions there,” Morey said of free agency, while adding “we feel very good where we’re at.”

Morey declared that he’s not interested in trading either of his top players, according to the Associated Press’ Dan Gelston. He said Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid “are going to be here for a long time.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics were advised that they shouldn’t pursue a James Harden deal with the Rockets, longtime Celtics beat reporter Steve Bulpett tweets. The front office researched the possibility of adding Harden and were urged to stay away, as the intel regarding the fallout in the Houston organization painted an ugly picture. Presumably, Harden was a part of that dysfunction.
The Celtics had three first-round picks to dangle on Wednesday but didn’t move up. It wasn’t for lack of trying, another longtime Celtics beat reporter Mark Murphy tweets. GM Danny Ainge said they explored the possibility but there was “not anything that was really tempting for us in the first part of the draft.” Boston held onto the first two picks and traded the other to the Grizzlies for two future second-rounders.

Austin Rivers Declines Player Option For 2020/21

November 19th, 2020 at 1:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NOVEMBER 19: As expected, Rivers is opting out of his contract and will reach the free agent market on Friday, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).

NOVEMBER 12: Rockets guard Austin Rivers will opt out of his veteran’s minimum $2.4MM player option for the 2020/21 season and enter the 2020 free agent market, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), Rivers fielded offers close to the $5.7MM mid-level exception last summer, but opted to re-sign with the club at a discount last summer in the hopes of competing for a title.

Rivers apparently will try not to let the fates of his All-Star teammates James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who reportedly expressed frustration with the team’s direction, impact his own decision making in free agency.

“They have their own decisions to make,” he said. “I’m a guy that wants to go places and play and help teams win. That’s all I’m about, is just competing and helping teams.”

Rivers had praise for new team head coach Stephen Silas, Berman noted in another tweet. “The most important thing, he’s a guy who knows the game of basketball and he’s been around it his whole life,” Rivers said.

Rivers, 28, averaged 8.8 PPG on .421/.356/.703 shooting in 68 games (23.4 MPG) for the Rockets in 2019/20.

In his comments today and earlier this week – when he strongly hinted he’d be opting out of the final year of his contract – Rivers stressed that he hasn’t ruled out a possible return to Houston and simply wants to consider all his options.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets To Sign Trevelin Queen

November 19th, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Undrafted free agent shooting guard Trevelin Queen has reached an agreement to join the Rockets, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Details on Queen’s deal haven’t been reported, but if it’s not a two-way contract, it’s safe to assume it’s a training camp invite, perhaps with an Exhibit 10 clause.

An All-WAC player for New Mexico State in 2019/20, Queen averaged 13.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.7 SPG in 26 games (27.5 MPG). He also posted a solid shooting line of .471/.387/.814. Queen was the No. 26 player on ESPN’s list of top undrafted prospects.

The Rockets have now reached deals with a pair of undrafted free agents, having also lined up a two-way contract for Arkansas’ Mason Jones.

Rockets To Sign Mason Jones To Two-Way Deal

November 19th, 2020 at 12:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have agreed to sign undrafted free agent Mason Jones to a two-way contract, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Jones will fill one of Houston’s two-way slots for the coming season.

Jones, who declared for the draft after his sophomore year, led the SEC in scoring with 22.0 PPG. He added 5.5 RPG and 3.4 APG to go along with a shooting line of .453/.351/.826 in 31 games (33.9 MPG).

The Razorbacks shooting guard ranked ninth on Givony’s list of prospects who went undrafted.

The rules for two-way players are a little different during the NBA’s shortened 2020/21 campaign. They’ll earn salaries of $449,155 and won’t face a limit on how many days they can spend in the NBA. However, they won’t be able to be active for more than 50 games.

Rockets To Trade Ariza, No. 16 Pick To Pistons For Future First-Rounder

November 18th, 2020 at 5:56pm CST by Luke Adams

UPDATE: This trade is being folded into a larger deal between the Rockets and Pistons, as described in a separate story.

The Rockets are trading Trevor Ariza and the No. 16 pick in tonight’s draft to the Pistons in exchange for a future first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Houston will also receive the Lakers’ 2021 second-round pick from Detroit as part of the swap, sending $4.6MM to the Pistons, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).

Ariza and the No. 16 pick are part of the package Houston will receive from Portland in exchange for Robert Covington. That deal – and this new one – can’t be completed until after the Blazers make the No. 16 pick tonight. Portland will now be making that pick on behalf on the Pistons.

Ariza, 35, was a solid contributor for the Blazers last season, averaging 11.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG with a .491/.400/.872 shooting line in 21 games (33.4 MPG) after being acquired in a trade-deadline deal. He opted out of the NBA’s restart this summer in Orlando.

Ariza will make $12.8MM this season, so the Pistons will absorb that money using their cap room, reducing the space they’ll have available in free agency. However, it’s not clear yet whether the entire amount will be guaranteed. Portland will have to be guarantee about $7.1MM to make the deal with Houston work, notes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). If it’s still only partially guaranteed, that would give the Pistons more flexibility.

It remains to be seen if Ariza will be part of Detroit’s plans in 2020/21 — this deal is presumably more about the No. 16 overall pick. New general manager Troy Weaver will now enter tonight’s draft armed with the seventh and 16th selections as he looks to add young talent to the roster.

As for the pick the Pistons are sending out, it will be heavily protected, says James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Edwards, it’ll be top-16 protected for the next four years, starting in 2021, then top-10 protected for two years and top-nine protected for one year. It would become a second-rounder if it still hasn’t changed hands at that point.

The Rockets, meanwhile, will pick up a pair of future draft picks while clearing enough salary from their books for the coming season to use their full mid-level exception, according to Wojnarowski. While there still may be a number of dominoes to fall in Houston, that MLE could give the Rockets enough spending power to sign a free agent who would help convince James Harden and Russell Westbrook the team can contend in the West.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (via Twitter), Houston will also create a trade exception in the deal. It’ll be worth Ariza’s guaranteed amount.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wizards, Bulls Rebuffing Overtures For Beal, LaVine

November 18th, 2020 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine have been “hot names” around the NBA as potential trade targets, but the Wizards and Bulls are rebuffing overtures for their respective leading scorers, says Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The fact that the Wizards aren’t showing any interest in moving Beal comes as no surprise, as that has been the team’s stance ever since general manager Tommy Sheppard was hired in 2019. Sheppard reiterated on Tuesday that Beal “isn’t going anywhere” this fall.

LaVine’s status hasn’t been the subject of quite as much speculation as Beal’s, and the new decision makers in Chicago – led by president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas – haven’t given many hints about their plans. Based on Goodwill’s report though, it sounds like the team is looking to hang onto LaVine, who has two years and $39MM left on his team-friendly contract.

According to Goodwill, the Sixers have been one of the many teams kicking the tires on Beal and LaVine.

Earlier today, Jason Dumas of KRON4 News reported (via Twitter) that there’s a growing belief within the 76ers’ front office that the team won’t have a shot at acquiring Rockets star James Harden without including Ben Simmons. Dumas suggested that new president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is working on something else “significant” that would allow the team to keep both Simmons and Joel Embiid.

Beal and LaVine, who both provide play-making abilities, are the sorts of targets that would make sense for Philadelphia. However, with the Wizards and Bulls reportedly resisting offers, any “significant” move by Morey and the Sixers seems unlikely to include either Beal or LaVine.

Teams will continue to monitor Beal’s and LaVine’s situations on draft night and beyond, tweets Goodwill.

Rockets Notes: Harden, Westbrook, Draft

November 17th, 2020 at 7:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets aren’t opposed to entering the 2020/21 season with James Harden and Russell Westbrook on their roster, even if the two former MVPs aren’t happy about it, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who says the team is “willing to get uncomfortable.” The Rockets continue to insist that neither player will be dealt unless a team meets their asking price.

As MacMahon details – and as we’ve heard throughout the last week or two – the Rockets believe time is on their side since both Harden and Westbrook remain under contract for at least two more seasons.

Houston is seeking an especially substantial return for Harden, according to MacMahon, who hears from sources that the club would want a “proven young star” as a headliner, along with a “massive” package of draft picks. While Harden is reportedly pushing to be dealt to the Nets, the Rockets don’t feel obligated to send him to his preferred destination, MacMahon adds.

While the Rockets recognize that Westbrook won’t return as significant a package as Harden, they’re not prepared to move him without receiving young talent and/or first-round picks, says MacMahon. Houston feels it would be selling low on Westbrook after he struggled during the restart due to his coronavirus recovery and a quadriceps injury.

MacMahon, who confirms the Rockets have spoken to the Wizards about a deal involving Westbrook and John Wall, also confirms that Houston would want additional assets in a swap with Washington. The Rockets believe Westbrook can increase his value with a strong start to the 2020/21 season and aren’t concerned that his dissatisfaction will affect his effort on the court.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

The Rockets are hoping to buy a draft pick on Wednesday night, ideally late in the first round or early in the second, sources tell MacMahon. I’m skeptical that any first-rounders will be for sale, but Houston should have options in the second round.
Although things aren’t great in Houston right now, they’d only get worse if the Rockets accept a bad deal for Harden, according to Jerome Solomon of The Houston Chronicle, who urges the team to be patient and not give in to the superstar’s demands.
Now that the Rockets have picked up the No. 16 pick (in a trade involving Robert Covington), Kelly Iko and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic examine what the team could do with that selection.
We passed along several more Rockets-related rumors earlier today.

Rockets, Wizards Have Explored A Westbrook-Wall Flip

November 17th, 2020 at 5:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Wizards and the Rockets have talked about making a star-studded point guard swap, having explored trading former All-Star point guard John Wall for current All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link). Charania notes that Houston currently desires additional pieces in the deal, and that there is “no traction” for the trade just yet.

Wall, 30, has not played in an NBA game for the Wizards since December 26, 2018, felled by a series of injuries, including a torn Achilles. Westbrook, 32, recently requested a trade out of Houston following his inaugural season with the team.

Were this potential move to materialize, it could indicate that the Wizards are striving to improve their roster to entice star shooting guard Bradley Beal, 27, to stay with the team and not ask for a trade himself. Beal has two guaranteed years and $63.25MM left on his contract, with a $37.3MM player option for the 2022/23 season.

Though Rockets star guard Westbrook is not much of a floor spacer, his dynamic scoring, passing and rebounding – plus his consistent on-court availability – could greatly help the Wizards, a team that finished the 2019/20 season just outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture with the No. 9 seed.

Conversely, trading the relatively active Westbrook to the Wizards for the oft-hurt Wall could indicate a willingness from the Rockets front office to consider James Harden trade offers, after their MVP-caliber guard requested a trade of his own.

Westbrook and Wall’s contracts are remarkably similar in terms of length and price, though obviously the on-court risks associated with adding Wall are significantly greater. Assuming Westbrook opts in to the final year of his contract with the Rockets, Westbrook has three seasons and $132.6MM remaining. Wall has three years and $132.9MM left on his deal, assuming he opts into the final year of his own deal with the Wizards.