- The Rockets have had discussions about Hawks wing Kent Bazemore, who is expected to draw interest from multiple contending teams, according to Charania.
[SOURCE LINK]
Austin Rivers is downplaying talk of a feud with Chris Paul during their five years as Clippers teammates, relays Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Rivers, who officially signed with the Rockets yesterday, points out that he never would have been welcome in Houston if Paul hadn’t agreed to the move.
“I have no problems with Chris, as you guys will see,” Rivers said. “Obviously, if I had a problem with Chris I wouldn’t be here. Chris has a huge input on this team as he should. He’s a Hall of Fame point guard. If that was that serious, I wouldn’t be here. That will show you that’s not real.”
Paul’s latest hamstring injury, suffered last Thursday, opened the door for Rivers to become a Rocket. Houston needs backcourt help with Paul out of action for at least two weeks, and Rivers was looking for playing time on a contending team after agreeing to a buyout with the Suns, who acquired him from the Wizards earlier this month.
“This is a team I always admired and wanted to play for with (coach Mike) D’Antoni and the way they play, getting up and down,” Rivers added. “It’s a very fitting place.”
There’s more today from Houston:
- Even though he just joined the team and hasn’t played in more than a week, Rivers won’t be on a minutes restriction as he makes his debut with the Rockets today, tweets Houston play-by-play man Craig Ackerman.
- The addition of Rivers will cut into Brandon Knight‘s playing time, but that was the plan all along, Feigen writes in a question-and-answer column. Knight missed a year and a half with an ACL tear and only had a couple of practices before taking the court. The Rockets intended to bring him along slowly and didn’t want to increase his minutes because of Paul’s injury.
- Rockets management had concerns about the condition of Luc Mbah a Moute‘s shoulder, which limited what they were willing to offer him in free agency, Feigen adds in the same piece. Mbah a Moute, who got $4.3MM to rejoin the Clippers, has only played four games this season, but it has been a knee issue rather than the shoulder that has limited him.
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks recalled guard Donte DiVincenzo and forward Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, the team’s PR department tweets. Both started in the Herd’s loss to the Stockton Kings on Saturday. DiVincenzo scored 14 points in 28 minutes, while Wood racked up 34 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 38 minutes.
- The Rockets recalled big man Isaiah Hartenstein from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. In five games with the Vipers, Hartenstein is averaging 20.0 PPG, 13.2 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 31.2 MPG.
The Warriors have kept a roster spot open all season with an eye on the upcoming buyout market. One name to watch is Robin Lopez, Marc Stein of The New York Post speculates in his latest newsletter. With DeMarcus Cousins‘ still recovering from a torn Achilles, the team lacks a proven option at the five.
“Draymond [Green] is going to play more center this year than ever before because we don’t have the same depth that we’ve had in the past at that position,” Coach Steve Kerr said over the weekend.
All signs point to Cousins returning in January, Stein adds in the same newsletter, so the team should have time to evaluate his fit and health before the trade deadline passes and buyout season begins.
Lopez, who has one year and $14.36MM left on his deal, may never be an option for the Warriors, as their only means to acquire him would be as a post-buyout free agent. The Bulls have made him available in trades and there’s simply no way Golden State could craft a reasonable deal that brings in that kind of salary.
Stein has more news and notes from the around the league. Let’s take a look at the highlights from his piece:
- Rival executives expect the Mavericks to eventually move Dennis Smith Jr. Luka Doncic‘s emergence and questions about the two fitting together in the same backcourt is causing rival teams to keep an eye on the situation. The Mavs insist that they are not shopping Smith Jr., though Stein hears that the combo guard would attract interest on the trade market.
- The Wizards have no plans to pursue Carmelo Anthony. Anthony remains on the Rockets‘ roster and the franchise prefers to trade him over working out a buyout arrangement because of luxury tax concerns. The 10-time All-Star has been looking for a new team for approximately six weeks.
- Patrick McCaw continues to sit out as he waits for a team to present him with an offer sheet. His strategy has puzzled the Warriors‘ front office since there isn’t much evidence that an offer is coming and the team would still have his rights should he sit out the entire year.
DECEMBER 24, 11:09am: The Rockets have officially signed Rivers to a rest-of-season deal, announcing the news in a press release.
DECEMBER 23, 1:34pm: Rivers will get back the $650K he gave to Phoenix in his buyout agreement, plus nearly $500K more from the Rockets, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Houston’s cap hit will fall between $914K and $931K, depending on when his signing becomes official. The Rockets don’t play again until Tuesday.
DECEMBER 23, 12:53pm: Former Wizards guard Austin Rivers has reached an agreement to join the Rockets, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
His contract will be fully guaranteed for the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Houston has an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary. The Rockets have part of their mid-level exception remaining, but there’s no word on whether Rivers will receive more than a veteran’s minimum contract. His new salary will cut into the $12MM still owed to him by the Suns, who waived him earlier this week.
Houston has a need for guard help with Chris Paul sidelined for at least the next two weeks with a strained hamstring. The move reunites the former Clippers teammates, who had an uneasy relationship when they were together in L.A. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Paul had no objections to signing Rivers, understanding that the team needs immediate backcourt help (Twitter link).
The agreement with the Rockets caps an eventful nine days for Rivers, who was involved in a canceled three-team trade, then was dealt to the Suns the next day. He reached a buyout agreement with Phoenix and has been looking for an opportunity with a contending team that could offer him consistent playing time. Houston qualified when Paul got injured Thursday night.
Rivers was having a productive first year in Washington after being acquired from the Clippers in an offseason trade. Used mainly in a reserve role, he posted a 7.2/2.4/2.0 line through 29 games.
- With Chris Paul out for the next couple of weeks, Brandon Knight is ready to step up and contribute if given the playing time. As Jonathan Feigen writes for The Houston Chronicle, Knight has struggled to find his shot since returning from injury, and with the Rockets adding Austin Rivers earlier today, Knight may find himself short on minutes in the rotation.
- Danuel House has provided an unexpected lift for the Rockets off the bench in recent weeks, and he even started against the Spurs this weekend due to Paul’s injury. As Feigen reveals for The Houston Chronicle, starting in his hometown was a meaningful experience for House.
- Rockets All-Star guard Chris Paul has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to a team press release. Paul suffered the injury against Miami on Thursday.
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.
[RELATED: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sits atop Rockets’ wishlist]
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 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.
[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]
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.
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.