- The Pelicans, Rockets, Wizards, Heat, and Mavericks are the would-be contenders who most need to make a trade, in the view of Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer. Meanwhile, a handful of NBA.com writers weigh in on the teams most in need of a shake-up, and many of the same clubs are mentioned.
The Rockets waived Danuel House on Tuesday in part because they don’t need him as much now that their roster is a little healthier. However, the team had another motive for making the move, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, who reports that the Rockets may use the open roster spot to facilitate a trade.
As Feigen explains, Houston would like to make a deal by this Friday in order to have the option of including a newly-acquired player in a second trade before this season’s February 7 deadline.
NBA rules don’t prevent an over-the-cap team from flipping a newly-acquired player immediately, but they do prohibit the team from aggregating that player’s salary with other salaries in a second trade within two months of that player being acquired. So if the Rockets were to trade for a player on Saturday, the team wouldn’t be able to include him in a larger package for salary-matching purposes later in the season.
For instance, let’s say the Rockets trade this week for a player who is earning $7MM. Then, at the trade deadline, the club wants to acquire a player making $12.75MM. A taxpaying team like Houston is permitted to take back up to 125% of the salary it sends out in a trade, so trading that $7MM player along with, say, Marquese Chriss ($3.21MM) at the deadline would allow the Rockets to take back $12.75MM. However, that $7MM player could only be packaged along with Chriss for salary-matching purposes if he’s acquired by December 7, two months before the deadline.
It’s not clear which player(s) the Rockets might be targeting at this point, but the team has long been said to be seeking wing help. If the club does make a move within the next couple days, it’s worth keeping in mind that December 7 “deadline” as an important reason why.
If the Rockets don’t make a move this week, that 15th roster spot will likely be earmarked for Gary Clark, who figures to receive a promotion from his two-way contract at some point in the not-too-distant future. Houston also figures to open up another roster slot when the team eventually waives or trades Carmelo Anthony, and House could be a candidate to re-sign at some point, Feigen notes.
The Rockets have waived swingman Danuel House, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Houston added House to its roster in late November after he showcased his ability in the G League. The signing came when the Rockets had a bevy of injuries but it appears the team is confident in its depth now that several of its players have come back from injury.
House has played in five games for Houston this season. He averaged 8.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Because House was on a non-guaranteed contract, the Rockets will only be on the hook for a small portion of his minimum salary. Assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, the cap charge for House should be about $94K.
- Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni believes improved health will lead to better defense, as he told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets currently rank 26th in that department. “Nene and Chris (Paul) coming back, first of all, that’s two of the better defenders in the league, so that helps,” D’Antoni said. “That’s going to take minutes off Clint (Capela) and P.J. (Tucker). So they’ll be better defensively because they won’t be as tired. … We know we need to be in the top 10 to be a real contender.”
- D’Antoni has high praise for the Timberwolves’ Derrick Rose, who has reinvented himself as a shooting guard, Feigen writes in a separate story. Rose is averaging 19.3 PPG despite starting just five of 21 games. “Accepting new roles is tough. Some guys can do it. Some guys just can’t do it,” D’Antoni said. “They can try to shoot threes all they want. When they can do it, for the team, obviously, it’s beneficial. The league has changed. If you want to be effective, you have to change sometimes.”
Gary Clark Jr. has become a fixture in the Rockets‘ rotation, putting the team under some pressure to renegotiate his contract in the coming weeks. As Kelly Iko of The Athletic observes, Clark is expected to reach the 45-day NBA limit on his two-way deal by mid-December or so. At that point, he’ll have to either be promoted to the 15-man roster or sent to the G League.
While nothing is set in stone yet, the Rockets want Clark on their roster and have had “positive” initial discussions with his camp about a new deal, a source tells Iko. Houston could unilaterally convert his two-way contract to a standard deal, but that would result in a basic one-year, minimum-salary deal. If Houston wants to lock up Clark for more than just one year, both sides would have to agree to the terms.
Here’s more from Iko on the Rockets:
- There was some speculation that Houston might be interested in veteran point guard Isaiah Canaan, who was waived last week by the Suns. However, a source tells Iko that Canaan’s name didn’t move the needle for the Rockets, and they didn’t have serious interest in him.
- The Rockets continue to work with Carmelo Anthony and his representatives to determine whether it makes sense to trade or release him, according to Iko. Anthony won’t become trade-eligible until December 15, but could be waived anytime before or after that date.
- While the Rockets were hit hard by injuries in recent weeks, the front office has preached “calculated patience,” writes Iko. The team understood that most of those injuries wouldn’t be long-term, and didn’t want to rush into the trade market to find immediate help. “Having five guys hurt at once is unusual,” one team source told Iko.
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Hornets sent forward Dwayne Bacon and guard Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced on its website. This is the first G League assignment of the season for Bacon, who has appeared in 13 games for Charlotte and is averaging 6.4 points per night. It’s the third time for Graham, who has gotten into eight NBA games.
- The Spurs assigned Chimezie Metu to their Austin affiliate, according to the team website. He has appeared in 12 games with San Antonio.
- The Pistons have recalled Luke Kennard from Auburn Hills, the team announced in an email. Kennard is recovering from an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder that has sidelined him for the past 15 games.
- The Pelicans sent rookie Kenrich Williams to the G League, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. New Orleans doesn’t have a direct affiliate, so Williams has been assigned to the Westchester Knicks.
- The Knicks called up center Luke Kornet from Westchester and placed him on the active list for tonight’s game, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- The Rockets recalled guard Brandon Knight from their Rio Grande affiliate, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston.
The Rockets like what they have seen from Danuel House since signing him out of the G League on Monday, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Short on players because of injuries, Houston turned to House and gave him crunch-time minutes in his first game. He is averaging 25.3 minutes in three games and has responded with 10.0 points per night.
“I like Danuel a lot,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He’s very athletic. He’s a bigger three/four that we can use. He runs the floor, not afraid of the moment. He belongs in the NBA.”
House has previous NBA experience, getting into 23 games with Phoenix last season and one with Washington as a rookie in 2016/17. He played with the Rockets’ summer league team this year, but joined the Warriors for training camp. He returned to Houston’s G League affiliate after being waived.
D’Antoni didn’t commit to keeping House in the rotation, but said, “We’ll see how the roster shakes out down the road. For right now, we’ll try to use him.”
There’s more NBA news out of Texas:
- Rockets guard Brandon Knight showed signs of progress in scoring 16 points and handing out five assists Friday while making his season debut in the G League, Feigen relays in a separate story. Knight, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Suns, is still rehabbing from an ACL tear in his left knee and hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2016/17 season. “He’s just trying to work his way back,” D’Antoni said. “He’s a ways off. That was a good first step obviously. He got on the court. Our trainers were happy with the way he looked and the way he feels. But to get what we need, it’s still a ways.”
- The Spurs are emphasizing team unity after suffering a pair of embarrassing losses this week, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. After an offseason that featured the loss of longtime team leaders Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the players are concerned about upholding the traditions in San Antonio. “It’s the big picture,” said Patty Mills, who is now the longest-tenured Spur on the roster. “It’s who we represent when we put these jerseys on.”
- The Mavericks went on a hot streak after concerns about DeAndre Jordan being “selfish” came to light, and Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence. He suggests the team benefited from the public scrutiny of Jordan, which helped to resolve the situation.
Rockets center Nene Hilario is poised to make his season debut on Saturday, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Nene suffered a strained calf muscle during the preseason.
“The important thing is I feel better,” Nene told Feigen. “I feel good. I’ve been working. In the last two, three practices I did what I need to do to see the movement I’m going to use in a game, especially in my style, my game style.”
Nene is in his third season with the Rockets. He’s making $3.6MM this season and holds a $3.82MM player option on next season’s contract. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 14.6 minutes per contest in 52 games last season.
It remains to be seen how much coach Mike D’Antoni will use the veteran. Isaiah Hartenstein and Gary Clark have received most of backup frontcourt minutes behind starting center Clint Capela and power forward P.J. Tucker.
Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Southwest Division:
Wesley Matthews, Mavericks, 32, SG (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $70MM deal in 2015
Matthews got off to a strong start, reaching the 20-point mark in six of the first 10 games. An injury set him back as a mild hamstring strain kept him out of four games. He’s shot 33% from 3-point range in the last two games since returning to action. There’s always a market for players who can make the long ball but at his age, Matthews is probably looking at a short-term deal in his next contract and might have to settle for a second-unit role.
Marquese Chriss, Rockets, 21, PF, (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $9.2MM deal in 2016
Chriss received a fresh start when the Suns traded him to a contender. So far, Chriss has failed to take advantage of the situation, even after the club decided to part ways with Carmelo Anthony. Chriss has only appeared in seven games and hasn’t played more than eight minutes in any of them. It’s hard to believe he was chosen with the No. 8 overall pick in 2016. Chriss is still younger than many college players, so he’ll get another chance somewhere else, but he’ll have to settle for a modest contract.
Shelvin Mack, Grizzlies, 28, PG (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2018
The Grizzlies brought in Mack on a veteran’s minimum deal to back up Mike Conley. Mack has been a steady presence in the rotation, averaging 9.9 PPG and 3.6 APG while keeping his turnovers down (1.3 per game). He’s also shot it well from long range (41.8%). Mack isn’t flashy but he’s a competent second-unit floor leader and he might get more than one year on the open market next summer.
Nikola Mirotic, Pelicans, 27, PF (Up) — Signed to a two-year, $15MM deal in 2017
Mirotic made national headlines last season when Bulls teammate Bobby Portis slugged him during a practice dispute. Far removed from that incident, Mirotic is enjoying a career year with the Pelicans. He’s averaging 19.2 PPG and 10.5 RPG in 31.6 MPG. His 3-point percentage is down from last season but is still a solid 37%. Mirotic should receive plenty of attention on the open market as a stretch four who can also pound the glass.
Rudy Gay, Spurs, 32 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $10MM deal in 2018
Gay had an ugly outing against Minnesota on Wednesday (three points in 19 minutes) but otherwise he’s been quite efficient this season. He’s shooting 49.2% from the field and 46.7% outside the arc and has also been a factor on the boards (7.1 per game). Gay has been thrust into a starting role with the injury-riddled Spurs but he’ll probably be looked upon as a second-unit contributor when he returns to the open market. He’s showing he still has something left in the tank.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Rockets assigned veteran point guard Brandon Knight to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Knight is close to making his Houston debut after sitting out since April 2017 with a torn ACL. He’ll play for the Vipers on Friday when they host the Salt Lake City Stars. We have more details here.
- The Celtics recalled Brad Wanamaker from the Maine Red Claws, the team’s PR department tweets. Boston wanted a little more backcourt depth with Jaylen Brown declared out for Friday’s game against the Cavaliers. Wanamaker has appeared in five games with the Celtics, averaging 3.2 PPG in 6.2 MPG.
- The Bucks recalled big man Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, according to a team press release. Wood has appeared in three games for the Herd, averaging 23.0 PPG, 10.7 RPG and 1.7 BPG in 33.4 MPG. He’s seen action in five Bucks games, averaging 3.8 PPG in 6.8 MPG.