Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Dangling Knight, First-Round Pick In Trade Talks

December 21st, 2018 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets‘ search for wing help remains ongoing, and the team has made calls around the NBA, offering Brandon Knight and a first-round pick in potential packages, writes Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic.

Houston’s willingness to offer Knight and a first-rounder doesn’t exactly come as a huge surprise. The veteran guard has been viewed as the team’s most likely trade chip due to his $14.63MM salary, which would allow the Rockets to match a wide range of incoming contracts. The Rockets also reportedly offered four first-round picks to Minnesota during the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes, so attaching one to Knight in trade discussions makes sense.

This specific package of a Knight and a first-round pick was recently cited by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer as being offered up in a four-way trade that would have seen Houston acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Lakers. In that scenario, Knight and the first-rounder would’ve been redirected to Atlanta, but the deal didn’t come to fruition.

According to Bijani, the Rockets have been active in their efforts to insert themselves and participate in multi-team deals in order to facilitate the acquisition of a wing. The team is said to be seeking a veteran that would provide reliable three-point shooting and solid perimeter defense, allowing Houston to stabilize its rotation.

While Caldwell-Pope is one player who could fit that bill, there are many others. I’m not sure the Rockets would be willing to surrender a first-round pick for some of the trade candidates out there though, even if it meant moving Knight’s multiyear contract. That list of trade candidates includes J.R. Smith, Kent Bazemore, DeMarre Carroll, and Wesley Matthews, among others.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

December 21st, 2018 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 15 players on their regular season rosters, plus two more on two-way contracts, for a total of 17 players. However, approximately half of the league’s clubs aren’t currently taking advantage of all their roster spots and have at least one open 15-man or two-way contract slot.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Roster Counts]

There will likely be more roster movement starting next month, since January features plenty of important roster dates and deadlines. Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts on January 5. Every player on a non-guaranteed contract will have his salary guaranteed if he’s not waived by January 7. And two-way contracts can’t be signed after January 15.

For now though, there are 11 NBA teams with openings on their 15-man rosters and three more with at least one open two-way contract slot.

Here’s a breakdown of those teams with open roster spots:

Teams with an opening on their 15-man roster:

Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards

Of the 11 teams with an open roster spot, six are projected taxpayers — the Warriors, Rockets, Heat, Thunder, Raptors, and Wizards are all over the luxury tax threshold and will be in no rush to fill the 15th spot on their respective rosters, since doing so would increase that year-end tax bill.

The other clubs are more likely to add a 15th man sooner or later, though the Hornets also aren’t far off from the tax threshold and may exercise some caution with that final roster spot. Teams like the Cavaliers and Suns figure to prioritize developmental players when they eventually fill their rosters, while potential contenders the Sixers and Pacers may focus on finding a immediate contributor.

Teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers (2)

The Trail Blazers have yet to add a two-way player to their roster this season, which is somewhat unusual, even given the club’s uncertain ownership situation. It’s not as if a two-way player requires a significant investment, so that seems like a signing Jody Allen would sign off on if the front office asked.

Portland doesn’t have its own G League affiliate, so maybe the club believes its ability to develop a young player on a two-way deal would be limited. Still, the other two teams without G League affiliates of their own – the Nuggets and Pelicans – have filled both of their two-way contract slots. Perhaps if the Blazers are plagued with injuries at some point this season, they’ll use those two-way openings to add a player or two who can help out immediately at the NBA level.

Meanwhile, the Knicks recently promoted Allonzo Trier to their 15-man roster and haven’t yet filled his old two-way spot. The Celtics are in the same boat, having waived two-way player Walt Lemon Jr. at the end of November. Both teams will likely fill those openings before the January 15 deadline.

Chris Paul Out For “Some Time” With Hamstring Injury

December 21st, 2018 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets entered Thursday night’s action having apparently turned a corner, riding a five-game winning streak and getting back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference. However, the team suffered a pair of losses last night — in addition to falling to the Heat, the Rockets also lost All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a strained left hamstring.

Paul will reportedly undergo an MRI this morning to determine the severity of the injury, but the diagnosis was confirmed after the game by head coach Mike D’Antoni, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. According to D’Antoni, CP3 will be sidelined for “some time” due to his hamstring issue.

As Reynolds notes in his full story on Paul’s injury, the injury is bad news for the Rockets, who have struggled without the veteran point guard since he arrived in Houston in 2017. The Rockets are 0-5 this season in games without Paul. That figure doesn’t include Thursday’s game, which Houston led by eight points when CP3 went down.

Last season, the club was 15-9 in games Paul didn’t play — that’s not bad, but it certainly pales in comparison to the 50-8 record the team posted when he was healthy. Of course, the Rockets also lost the last two games in the Western Conference Finals to the Warriors when Paul was on the shelf with a hamstring strain.

“It’s definitely tough because he’s a big-time play-maker and ball handler for us,” Rockets guard Eric Gordon said, per Reynolds. “In this offense you need all of the play-making that you can have and usually me, Chris, and James [Harden] have the ball in our hands trying to play-make for other people and provide good scoring.”

As Gordon notes, he and Harden figure to take on some added responsibility with Paul out of action. Michael Carter-Williams, who hasn’t been a regular part of the rotation since October, may also get another look, and Brandon Knight‘s ability to contribute could be put to the test as well.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/20/18

December 20th, 2018 at 9:29pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Rockets assigned center Isaiah Hartenstein to their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s PR department announced Thursday. Hartenstein has appeared in 22 games with the Rockets this season.
The Lakers assigned rookie guard Isaac Bonga to the South Bay Lakers, the team announced. Bonga was with South Bay for their game today against Greensboro in the NBA G League Showcase.
The Wizards have assigned Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go, the team’s G League affiliate, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. Brown will play with the Go-Go in Friday’s game against Agua Caliente.
The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans lll to their G League team in Santa Cruz, announcing the move in a press release. Evans was drafted by the Warriors with the No. 28 pick inJune.

Isaiah Hartenstein Recalled From Vipers

December 19th, 2018 at 8:15pm CST by clarkcrum

The Rockets recalled rookie big man Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s G League affiliate, in time for tonight’s game against the Wizards, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Hartenstein, 20, has averaged 2.1 PPG in 21 contests during his rookie season.

LeBron James Talks Carmelo, AD

December 19th, 2018 at 8:41am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers fell to the Nets in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, completing a 1-3 road trip, and LeBron James showed visible signs of frustration during the loss, as Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin note.

After a few Lakers flaws were exposed on that road trip, Goodwill wonders if James may be getting a little antsy for the team to upgrade its roster in preparation for a second-half playoff run. While there’s no indication that LeBron is pushing the front office to make moves, he was willing to discuss a couple specific players – Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Davis – on Tuesday.

“I don’t run the team and obviously there’s some things that need to be worked out on both sides,” James said when asked about the possibility of the Lakers adding Anthony, according to McMenamin. “But I’ve always wanted to play along Melo and if the opportunity presents itself, it would be great. So we’ll see what happens.”

LeBron was less equivocal when McMenamin inquired about the idea of the Lakers trading for Davis: “That would be amazing, like, duh. That would be incredible.”

As Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes, the Pelicans have shown no willingness to move Davis, and the star big man still appears very committed to New Orleans for now, so any trade scenarios involving AD are unlikely to become viable until at least the 2019 offseason. Carmelo, on the other hand, is a more realistic target, though reports have indicated that the Lakers’ front office doesn’t share LeBron’s enthusiasm for adding the 10-time All-Star.

According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, James’ comments about Anthony came after the two friends dined at a Manhattan steakhouse earlier in the day. Carmelo is still technically under contract with the Rockets, but has been away from the club for more than a month as Houston’s front office decides whether to trade or release the veteran forward.

The Lakers have been exploring the trade market in search of an upgrade on the wing, having discussed Trevor Ariza with the Suns before he was sent to Washington. However, if they decide to go the free agent route, the Lakers would have to trade or release a player — they have a full 15-man roster, with all 15 players on guaranteed contracts.

Stein’s Latest: Melo, Bazemore, Ross, Davis

December 18th, 2018 at 8:42pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets continue to search for a taker for Carmelo Anthony, Marc Stein of The New York Times reports in his latest newsletter. Moving Anthony’s $2.4MM salary – which has a cap hit of $1.5MM, would afford the team roughly $2.6MM in luxury tax savings.

Stein notes that the Sixers and Lakers—two teams often mentioned as potential landing spots for Melo—appear uninterested in bringing the prolific scorer aboard. The Hornets have also resisted the idea of adding Anthony despite the connection between team owner Michael Jordan and Anthony through the Jordan Brand.

Anthony became trade-eligible on the weekend and perhaps as NBA clubs gather in Las Vegas for the G League showcase, a rival team will strike a deal with Houston.

Here’s more from Stein’s latest newsletter.

Kent Bazemore is generating interest from contending teams looking for a swingman, Stein reports. Bazemore has one more year and $19.3MM left on his deal with the Hawks after this season and the interest in the wing at that price speaks to how highly he’s regarded in the marketplace, Stein writes.
Hawks veterans Jeremy Lin and Dewayne Dedmon are also receiving interest from around the league. Both players are on expiring deals.
Terrence Ross is the Orlando wing who is generating the most interest. However, the Magic would prefer to trade Jonathon Simmons over Ross, who is on an expiring $10.5MM contract.
It’s unlikely that the Pelicans deal Anthony Davis this season but a critical point is approaching. New Orleans can offer Davis a massive contract extension worth over $200MM in total value this summer and should the big man decline it, the Pelicans will realistically have to trade him.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Sits Atop Rockets’ Wishlist

December 18th, 2018 at 7:48pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the Rockets‘ top trade target as they look for wing help, Marc Stein of The New York Times reports in his latest newsletter. KCP can veto any trade as a result of signing a one-year deal with the Lakers, but Stein hears that the shooting guard would agree to a deal that sends him to Houston.

Caldwell-Pope was involved in trade discussions between the Suns and Lakers over the weekend with L.A. looking to deal KCP to Phoenix for Trevor Ariza. Another proposal had the shooting guard going to Houston in a four-way trade that sent Ariza to the Lakers, Jeremy Lin to the Suns and a package of Brandon Knight and first-rounder to Atlanta. Phoenix wasn’t impressed with either deal and Ariza was sent elsewhere.

The Rockets have been on the lookout for wing help for some time, expressing exploratory interest in J.R. Smith earlier this month. Stein adds that Smith is “somewhere further down” on the Rockets’ wishlist.

Rockets Waive Zhou Qi

December 17th, 2018 at 4:26pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Rockets have waived Chinese big man Zhou Qi, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Houston selected Zhou with the 43rd overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Zhou, 22, has appeared in just one game this season as he’s dealt with knee and ankle injuries. His last G League game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers came on Nov. 20, when he sprained his left ankle. In seven G-League contests, Zhou averaged 11.9 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 52.9 percent from the field.

The 7’1″ forward/center appeared in 18 games with the Rockets last season, averaging just 1.2 PPG in 6.9 minutes per game.

By waving Zhou, the Rockets reduce their roster total to 14 players, plus a pair on two-way contracts. And because Zhou was on a non-guaranteed contract, he’ll only count for about $506K on Houston’s cap for 2018/19.

Rockets Were Involved In One Variation Of Ariza Talks

December 17th, 2018 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

One of the other variations of an Ariza deal that was discussed before the Suns sent him to the Wizards featured the Rockets and Hawks, league sources tell O’Connor. In that scenario, Ariza would have gone to the Lakers and the Rockets would have acquired Caldwell-Pope. The Suns would have received Jeremy Lin and an additional asset, while the Hawks got Brandon Knight and a first-round pick.

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