Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets, Magic Discussed Russell Westbrook Trade

November 20th, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets talked to the Magic about a deal involving Russell Westbrook, but the teams weren’t able to make any progress, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The trade would have included a package from Orlando with Aaron Gordon as the centerpiece.

Houston has been searching for a taker for Westbrook, who reportedly asked to be dealt after one season with the team. Rumors have focused on the Knicks, Hornets and Wizards, but the Rockets have seen a limited market for the former MVP. His contract, with $132MM remaining over three seasons, has been an impediment, along with his age and history of injuries.

The Magic have been exploring deals involving Gordon, who has two years left on his contract at about $34.5MM. The 25-year-old is an explosive dunker, but hasn’t developed into the player Orlando was expecting when it drafted him fourth overall in 2014. His scoring average dipped for the second straight season in 2019/20, falling to 14.4 PPG, and he shot just 43.7% from the field.

Latest On James Harden, Russell Westbrook

November 19th, 2020 at 11:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Since word broke that James Harden was hoping for a trade out of Houston, reports have indicated that the Rockets are hoping they can convince him to reconsider his position and make roster moves that show him the team can still contend for a title. However, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested during an appearance on Brian Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast that the team’s commitment to that position may be wavering.

“The sense I get from the Rockets is that their ambition, their goal, their hope is no longer about salvaging the relationship with James Harden and kind of getting him on board,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “There is a realization that his mind is made up. He wants out and there is a determination to say ‘Okay, we get it. This happens in the NBA, but just because James Harden wants out, doesn’t mean he gets to dictate where and for what.'”

As MacMahon explains, even if the Rockets are no longer confident that Harden can be convinced to spend the rest of his career in Houston, that doesn’t mean the team will make a trade as soon as possible to send him to his preferred landing spot in Brooklyn.

MacMahon, who suggested last week that Houston is “willing to get uncomfortable” with Harden and Russell Westbrook, told Windhorst that the club would be seeking a young potential franchise player and a Jrue Holiday-esque package of draft picks in any deal for Harden. And the Rockets are prepared to be patient in the hopes of having that price met, if not by the Nets then perhaps by the Sixers or another club.

“What they’re saying is, ‘Look, we’re not going to be rushed into this,'” MacMahon said. “… They’re saying, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to come to camp, you’re probably going to have to start the season.’ At this point, the Rockets have to be willing to listen. They understand that at some point they’re going to have to make a trade. But it’s not when he has two years plus a player option on his deal.”

As for Westbrook, MacMahon said there’s “not a fit for him that makes any kind of sense” on the trade market for now. The Rockets’ hope is that Westbrook will start the season with the team, show he’s healthy, and potentially increase his value, per MacMahon.

Mitchell Robinson, Ben McLemore Receive Salary Guarantees

November 19th, 2020 at 7:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In moves that were little more than formalities, two more players have had their contracts fully guaranteed ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports tweets that Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has had his third-year, $1,663,861 contract guaranteed. Meanwhile, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports that Rockets shooting guard Ben McLemore has seen his $2,283,034 contract guaranteed after a solid 2019/20 performance in Houston.

Since being drafted with the 36th pick in 2018, the springy 7′ Robinson has quickly become a core piece for a rebuilding Knicks club. Robinson posted averages of 9.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG over 61 games for New York during his sophomore pro season, while connecting on a stellar 74.2% of his field goals.

The 27-year-old McLemore enjoyed a terrific year in Houston over the 2019/20 season, proving his mettle as a reliable 3-and-D role player for a competitive playoff club. McLemore averaged 10.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG for the Rockets. He also posted a solid shooting line of .444/.400/.746. Over 71 games for the club, he averaged 22.8 minutes a night.

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.