Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets, Pistons Complete Christian Wood Sign-And-Trade

November 24th, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

3:59pm: Bobby Marks of ESPN has the new protections on the Pistons’ first-round pick being sent to Houston in the deal. According to Marks (Twitter link), it’s top-16 protected in 2021 and 2022, top-18 in ’23 and ’24, top-13 in ’25, top-11 in ’26, and top-nine in ’27. If it still hasn’t changed hands by that point, the Rockets will get a 2027 second-round pick.

3:38pm: The Pistons and Rockets each issued press releases today to formally announce that free agent big man Christian Wood has officially been sent to Houston in a sign-and-trade deal.

The move combines Wood’s deal with the Trevor Ariza trade the two teams originally agreed to last week. The end result is as follows:

Pistons acquire Ariza, the draft rights to Isaiah Stewart (the No. 16 pick in the draft), cash ($4.6MM), and a future Rockets second-round pick.
Rockets acquire Wood (via sign-and-trade), the Pistons’ 2021 first-round pick (heavily protected) and the Lakers’ 2021 second-round pick.

The Pistons’ and Rockets’ official announcements offer even fewer specifics than outlined above, so we’ll have to wait for clarification on the last few aspects of the deal, such as the future second-rounder going to Detroit and the protections on the first-round pick going to Houston.

That Pistons first-rounder was initially expected to be top-16 protected for four years, but Detroit reportedly increased the protections a little further when the team agreed to accommodate Wood’s sign-and-trade. The Rockets were unable to offer Wood his three-year, $41MM deal without the Pistons’ cooperation.

Now that this deal is complete, Ariza can be traded for the third time of the offseason. The veteran forward has already been sent from Portland to Houston to Detroit and will now be rerouted to Oklahoma City as part of a three-team trade involving the Pistons, Thunder, and Mavericks.

Meanwhile, the Rockets officially add one of the top free agents of this year’s class. Wood had a breakout year in 2019/20, though his full-season stats (13.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG) don’t tell the full story — after he entered the starting lineup following the Pistons’ Andre Drummond trade, he recorded 22.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 2.0 APG over his final 13 games.

Wood will join a Rockets squad that no longer seems intent on continuing the micro-ball experiment that they attempted last season after trading Clint Capela to Atlanta. Houston has also reached a deal to sign DeMarcus Cousins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Workout Convinced Rockets To Ink Cousins

November 23rd, 2020 at 7:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A workout on Monday convinced the Rockets to sign DeMarcus Cousins, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Cousins’ workout squelched any concerns about Cousins’ health, Haynes adds. Cousins agreed to a non-guaranteed one-year deal.
The acquisition of Christian Wood should have a major impact on the retooled Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Wood, who’s headed to Houston on a sign-and-trade, should provide elite production in pick-and-rolls with two star play-makers setting him up. Wood’s perimeter shooting will facilitate the Rockets’ small lineups by provide spacing for Westbrook with his ability to attack closeouts off the dribble and finish, Feigen adds.
The Mavericks tried to trade up in the draft to land guard Tyrese Haliburton, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (hat tip to RealGM). Dallas attempted to trade multiple picks to lottery teams in the 7-11 range to make that move. Haliburton was ultimately selected at No. 12 by the Kings. The Mavs also tried to work out a deal with the Rockets for small forward Robert Covington, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, but Houston instead chose to deal him to the Trail Blazers.

Rockets Sign DeMarcus Cousins To One-Year Deal

November 23rd, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

DECEMBER 1: The Rockets have officially signed Cousins, the team announced today in a press release. Houston now has a full 20-man roster.

NOVEMBER 23: The Rockets and free agent center DeMarcus Cousins have agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal and says it will be non-guaranteed.

Cousins, 30, has only played in 78 games over the last three seasons – and didn’t play at all in 2019/20 – due to a series of major leg injuries, including a torn Achilles and, most recently, a torn ACL.

He reportedly received contract offers prior to the NBA’s summer restart, but turned them down in order to focus on his rehab. He’s aiming to get back to 100% before returning to action, so it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be ready to go for the start of the season.

A fully-healthy Cousins would be a tantalizing weapon for the Rockets this season. The four-time All-Star has career averages of 21.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 565 games, and while he’s certainly unlikely to match those numbers, he’d be a bargain for Houston if he’s able to recapture his old form at all.

Houston’s agreement with Cousins is the latest signal that the team will be pivoting away from its micro-ball approach for 2020/21. The team also agreed to a three-year, $41MM deal with big man Christian Wood.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets To Sign Jae’Sean Tate To Three-Year Deal

November 22nd, 2020 at 5:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Rockets have agreed to sign rookie swingman Jae’Sean Tate to a three-year deal, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

John Hollinger of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the agreement is for a bit more than the league minimum, and that the Rockets used a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to ink Tate to the deal.

The 6’4″ Tate, a four-year OSU alum, played under new Rockets assistant coach Will Weaver on the Sydney Kings of the Australian NBL for the 2019/20 season. He averaged 16.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG, while shooting 37.3% from long range on 1.8 attempts. He also shot a stellar 65.8% from the floor. Tate received first-team All-NBL honors for the season.

Tate averaged 11.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 2.9 APG in four seasons with the Buckeyes, from 2014-18. He went undrafted in 2018. We previously relayed news of Houston’s interest in adding Tate earlier this offseason.

Rockets To Sign Sterling Brown

November 22nd, 2020 at 2:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Shooting guard Sterling Brown has agreed to a one-year deal with the Rockets, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Because Brown never received a qualifying offer from the Bucks, he was able to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent.

The 6’5″ swingman was drafted by the Bucks with the 46th pick in 2017 out of SMU. The 25-year-old has a career slash line average of 5.2 PPG/3.1 RPG/1.0 APG across his three seasons in the league. He also has connected on an average of 77.4% of his free throw attempts, 41.7% of his shots from the floor, and 34.5% of his 2.6 three-point looks per contest.

His shooting should be a solid attribute to a changing Rockets club that still prioritizes surrounding stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook with switchable perimeter scorers, though how long those All-Star guards will stay with the franchise remains up in the air now.

Trail Blazers, Rockets Complete Robert Covington Trade

November 22nd, 2020 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: The deal is now official, according to a press release from the Trail Blazers. Covington goes to Portland in exchange for Ariza, the draft rights to No. 16 pick Isaiah Stewart, and the Blazers’ protected 2021 first-round pick.

Houston can now flip Ariza and Stewart to the Pistons, who will in turn send Ariza to Oklahoma City.

NOVEMBER 16: The Rockets and Trail Blazers are finalizing an agreement on a trade that will send forward Robert Covington to Portland, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). In exchange for Covington, Houston will acquire forward Trevor Ariza, the No. 16 pick in the 2020 draft, and Portland’s protected 2021 first-round selection, sources tell Wojnarowski.

While Covington isn’t the Rocket whose name has been mentioned most frequently in trade rumors during the last week or two, the fact that Houston is willing to move him indicates the team is no longer satisfied to simply run it back for the 2020/21 season. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are, of course, both reportedly hoping to be dealt this fall, so we’ll have to wait to see if this trade is a precursor to larger moves for the Rockets.

It was only nine months ago that the Rockets surrendered Clint Capela and a first-round pick in a four-team deal to acquire Covington, a three-and-D wing whom the team viewed as an ideal fit for its system. The 29-year-old did fit in well in Houston, averaging 11.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 22 games (33.0 MPG) down the stretch, though he struggled with his shot (.392 FG%, .315 3PT%). Covington was more reliable in the postseason, making 50.0% of his three-point attempts.

Ariza, who also plays a three-and-D role, is no stranger to Houston, having had two previous stints with the organization. Although he’s 35 years old, Ariza was still a solid contributor in Portland 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.

Covington ($12.1MM) and Ariza ($12.8MM) have similar salaries for the 2020/21 season, though Ariza’s money is mostly non-guaranteed. It’ll need to be guaranteed for salary-matching purposes, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. While Ariza’s deal is set to expire a year from now, Covington’s contract is a little more team-friendly, running through 2022.

Covington’s age, contract, and versatility were all presumably factors in Portland’s decision to give up its next two first-round picks along with Ariza to land him. The veteran forward will join a lineup that will also feature Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic. Rodney Hood, Gary Trent Jr., and Zach Collins are among the candidates to fill out an impressive starting five.

The trade will have to be officially completed after the Blazers pick at No. 16 on behalf of the Rockets on Wednesday, since teams aren’t allowed to leave themselves with no first-round picks in two consecutive future drafts. Once the 2020 draft is over, Portland will be able to trade its 2021 pick.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Receiving Interest From Pacers?

November 22nd, 2020 at 12:40am CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22, 12:40am: A source with knowledge of the situation tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) that the Pacers “aren’t engaged” in sign-and-trade talks with the Kings on a deal that would involve Bogdanovic and Turner.

Anderson clarifies in a follow-up tweet that there’s room for interpretation regarding the Pacers’ level of interest in Bogdanovic, but his source “flatly rejected” the idea of Turner being involved in a deal.

NOVEMBER 21, 10:00pm: The Pacers weren’t able to complete a sign-and-trade deal with Boston to land Gordon Hayward, but the Celtics forward apparently wasn’t the only sign-and-trade target on the team’s radar.

Sources tell James Ham of NBC Sports California that Indiana has shown interest in Kings restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is also drawing interest from the Hawks.

Atlanta has the cap room necessary to sign Bogdanovic to an offer sheet. In that scenario, the Kings would have to elect whether or not to match the offer, and would lose the talented swingman for nothing if they decline to match.

The over-the-cap Pacers would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade with Sacramento in order to give Bogdanovic a contract that reflects his market value (believed to be in the range of $18MM annually). If Indiana is willing to make a player like Myles Turner available in that scenario, that would certainly appeal to the Kings more than the prospect of losing Bogdanovic for nothing, Ham writes.

There would be some cap-related hurdles to overcome in any deal between the Kings and Pacers. And, of course, as the Bucks and the Kings were reminded earlier in the week, Bogdanovic himself would have to sign off on the idea of joining the Pacers over Atlanta or another team. Still, it’s certainly a possibility worth keeping an eye on.

For what it’s worth, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Pacers – as well as the Rockets – expressed some exploratory interest in a possible sign-and-trade for free agent guard Fred VanVleet before he committed to re-sign with the Raptors.

Rockets Claim Kenny Wooten Off Waivers

November 21st, 2020 at 4:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kenny Wooten has been claimed off waivers by the Rockets, two days after being let go by the Knicks, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 22-year-old forward had a two-way contract in New York running through the 2020-21 season that Houston will inherit, although the Rockets can change it to a standard NBA deal or negotiate a longer agreement. Houston filled one of its two-way slots earlier this week by signing Mason Jones.

Wooten signed with the Knicks last fall after going undrafted out of Oregon, but didn’t get into any NBA games. A shot-blocking specialist, he averaged 3.6 rejections per game, along with 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds, for the Westchester Knicks in the G League.

Wooten could be a cheap source of talent for the Rockets, who are hard-capped after a sign-and-trade deal for Christian Wood and will rely mostly on minimum-salaried players to fill out their roster.

Nets Sign Jeff Green To One-Year Deal

November 21st, 2020 at 1:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 23: It’s a done deal. The Nets sent out a press release confirming the signing of Green.

NOVEMBER 21: The Nets have reached a one-year agreement with forward Jeff Green, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll receive the veteran’s minimum of $2.56MM, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets, though it will only count $1.62MM against Brooklyn’s cap.

The journeyman forward was waived by the Jazz last season but had a good run with the Rockets in their small-ball lineups after he signed with them, first on 10-day contracts and then a rest-of-the-season deal.

Green averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 28.4 MPG during 12 postseason appearances with the Rockets while knocking down 42.6% of his long-range attempts.

Green, 34, met with Houston on Friday, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets, but he opted to join another prime playoff contender next season in Brooklyn.

Western Rumors: Howard, Lakers, Carmelo, Cousins, Kanter, More

November 21st, 2020 at 1:58am CST by Luke Adams

Before he agreed to a deal with the Sixers on Friday night, Dwight Howard posted a message on his Twitter account indicating that he would be re-signing with the Lakers.

“I’m staying right where I belong,” Howard wrote. “Laker nation I love y’all. Purple and gold never gets old.”

A few minutes later, the tweet had been deleted, and a little later in the evening, Howard was set to join the 76ers. So what happened?

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, sources within the Lakers’ organization are adamant that they never put a formal offer on the table for Howard and that they discussed a “deal concept.” Howard, on the other hand, believe that if he agreed to the “deal concept,” the two sides had a deal.

As Haynes writes, Lakers management told Howard’s agent they had to consult with team ownership and get approval before making an official offer. The veteran center waited for almost an hour without hearing back, sources tell Haynes. Ultimately, the communication breakdown resulted in Howard preparing to head east for the 2020/21 season.

Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors from around the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers haven’t ruled out the possibility of re-signing Carmelo Anthony, even after lining up deals to acquire Robert Covington and Derrick Jones, tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic.
The Rockets touched base with DeMarcus Cousins‘ camp today, a source told Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Iko’s report came before the team reached a deal with Christian Wood, so it’s not clear whether or not signing Cousins remains an option for Houston.
Now that the Lakers aren’t an option for Tristan Thompson, the Clippers could emerge as a real possibility, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who notes (via Twitter) that it’d be a chance for Thompson to reunite with Tyronn Lue.
The Lakers and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope remain interested in getting a deal done, but will have to reach a compromise on salary, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Caldwell-Pope is seeking a raise, while the Lakers won’t have a ton of wiggle room below their hard cap.
The Celtics gave Enes Kanter a choice of being traded to either the Grizzlies or Trail Blazers in the deal that was completed earlier today, and Kanter chose Portland, a source tells Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Count the Timberwolves among the teams with interest in free agent big man Paul Millsap, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).