Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

David Roddy Signs Two-Way Deal With Rockets

March 4th, 2025 at 11:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

March 4: The Rockets have officially signed Roddy to a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

March 3: David Roddy has agreed on a two-way contract with the Rockets, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Houston opened up a two-way spot by promoting Jeenathan Williams to a standard four-year, $8.2MM contract over the weekend.

Roddy didn’t last long as a free agent after he was waived by the Sixers on Saturday. Roddy signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia last month after a 10-day contract with the Sixers expired. He played three games with Philadelphia, averaging 6.0 points in 9.7 minutes per contest.

Roddy began the season with Atlanta, but was placed on waivers so the Hawks could complete a two-for-one deal with the Clippers at the trade deadline. Before being released, he appeared in 27 games, averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.8 minutes per night.

The Sixers selected Roddy with the 23rd pick in 2022, but traded him to Memphis on draft night. He was sent to Phoenix in a three-team deal at the 2024 deadline and then shipped to Atlanta in an offseason trade.

Roddy, who turns 24 later this month, has averaged 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17 minutes per game during his 165-game NBA career.

He’ll add depth to a frontcourt that’s been a little banged up recently. A handful of forwards and centers are listed as questionable for Monday’s game against Oklahoma City.

Southwest Notes: Williams, Olynyk, Williams Jr., Mavs Ticket Prices

March 3rd, 2025 at 8:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The four-year, $8.2MM contract that Jeenathan Williams signed on Sunday after getting promoted by the Rockets from his two-way deal is only guaranteed for the remainder of this season, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Williams’ teammates were well aware of his addition to the 15-man roster.

“As soon as I walked in the gym, they, like, they stampeded me and all gave me hugs and like, saying congrats. So it was a dope moment,” he told Lerner (Twitter link).

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Veteran big man Kelly Olynyk, acquired from Toronto in the Brandon Ingram trade, continues to shine for the Pelicans. He scored a season-high 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting in a win over the Jazz on Sunday night. “It’s rare,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said about Olynyk’s skill set, per John Coon of The Associated Press. “He’s seven feet. Can shoot the ball. Put it on the floor. Can post. Can rebound. Can pass. He’s smart defensively. He knows when to switch. He’s good with angles. He’s a great addition to our group.” Olynyk will have one year and $13.4MM remaining on his contract after this season. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in five games with the Pelicans.
Grizzlies guard Vince Williams Jr. says he’s not quite fully recovered from the Grade 3 ankle sprain he suffered in November, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. Williams says he’s at “about 80 percent,” but feels good and is hoping to hit his stride when other guys around the league may be wearing down. Williams has appeared in seven games since the injury but has been limited to 20 minutes per game.
Mavericks fans were infuriated by the Luka Doncic trade. Now, they have an additional reason to be upset. They’ll have to pay more money to watch the team next season, as the franchise is raising season-ticket prices. The team said season tickets will go up by an average of 8.61% next season and the increase is due to “ongoing investments in the team and fan engagement,” according to ESPN News Services.

VanVleet Out Monday After Aggravating Ankle; Five Others Questionable

March 3rd, 2025 at 11:21am CST by Rory Maher

Saturday’s loss to Sacramento marked Fred VanVleet‘s first game back with the Rockets following a month-long absence due to a right ankle strain. Unfortunately, he aggravated the ankle on the first play of the game when he stepped on a referee’s foot, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. The veteran guard stayed in the game and wound up playing 35 minutes, but his effectiveness was limited, as he finished with just three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 35 minutes (he also chipped in five rebounds, five assists and three steals). “I’ve been sitting long enough,” VanVleet said. “I had the training staff look at it, make sure it was nothing super serious, talked with coach a little bit. Obviously he noticed I wasn’t moving the best, so I was just trusting him at that point. If he decided to pull me I would’ve came out, but I wasn’t gonna take myself out the game. I’ll never do that.”
As Lerner relays in another story, VanVleet has been ruled out of Monday’s contest at Oklahoma City. Five other Rockets — Steven Adams (sore left ankle), Dillon Brooks (right knee contusion), Tari Eason (left leg injury management), Alperen Sengun (sore lower back) and Amen Thompson (right shoulder soreness) — are questionable for Monday’s game, which is the front end of a back-to-back.

Rockets Convert Williams’ Two-Way To Standard Deal, Waive Zeller

March 2nd, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:00 pm: The moves are official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

7:48 pm: Jeenathan Williams is having his two-way contract converted by the Rockets into a standard four-year, $8.2MM deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Also known as Nate Williams, the swingman is in his third season. Williams has appeared in 35 NBA games in his career, including five games with Portland. Williams, who went undrafted out of Buffalo, was re-signed to a two-way contract in July.

This season, he’s seen action in eight games, averaging 3.6 points in 5.5 minutes per contest. In 17 appearances with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League, Williams has averaged 20.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 30.7 minutes per game.

It remains to be seen how much of Williams’ new deal is guaranteed.

Houston is opening up a spot on the 15-man roster by waiving Cody Zeller, who had a non-guaranteed contract after this season, Charania adds in another tweet.

Zeller, 32, hasn’t played at all this season. In a salary-dump deal just before the February 6 deadline, the Hawks traded him and a 2028 second-round pick to Houston to move below the luxury tax threshold.

He had not been around the team since the deal, via an arrangement between him and the team’s front office.

Zeller was signed to a multiyear contract by the Pelicans last offseason specifically to be used as a salary-matching piece in the Dejounte Murray trade. While he was technically a member of the Hawks for several months, he didn’t participate in training camp with Atlanta and agreed to remain away from the team.

Rockets’ VanVleet Set To Return, Smith Moving To Bench

February 28th, 2025 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Barring a last-minute setback, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet will return to action on Saturday against Sacramento, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

VanVleet has missed Houston’s past 11 games due to what the team has referred to as a right ankle strain. The Rockets, who were 32-15 entering the month of February, lost the game in which VanVleet was injured and have gone just 5-6 in the games he has missed, so his return will be a welcome one.

Head coach Ime Udoka indicated on Friday that VanVleet will immediately reclaim his role as Houston’s starting point guard while Amen Thompson, who took over as the primary ball-handler in VanVleet’s absence, will continue to start in the team’s backcourt.

“Me and Amen have had a good synergy,” VanVleet said. “He’s always going to have ball-handling responsibility. We love him pushing the break, getting us into offense. I thought we started to see that when we had a stretch in January when he jumped into the starting lineup. Yeah, we got to keep pushing, getting ready for coming April. We got to get back to playing at the level that we know we’re capable of.”

Thompson first entered the starting lineup in early January when forward Jabari Smith Jr. went down with a fractured hand. Smith, a starter in 190 of 192 career games since being drafted third overall by Houston in 2022, will come off the bench with VanVleet back in action, per Udoka.

While Udoka remains open to making lineup adjustments as needed, his new starting five beginning on Saturday will be VanVleet, Thompson, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun.

“We still have some back-to-backs and time to figure out permanently, but when we’re whole, that’s what it will look like,” Udoka said. “… We still have some fluidity as far as lineups, and obviously the guys that can’t play back-to-backs factor into that. So yeah, continuity with the group that we have played well with, and just take a look at different things and what (Smith) brings us off the bench. And so nothing crazy. And as always, it’s more important who finishes.”

As Lerner relays, Udoka said that Smith was understanding of the decision to move him to the second unit and that he’ll still play a significant role for the club. The third-year forward came off the bench twice in the past week upon returning from his hand injury and played 38 and 33 minutes in those games.

Smith told reporters on Friday that he’s simply happy the Rockets’ veteran leader is ready to return.

“He brings a lot: leadership, a little bit of control out there. We get a little hectic without him,” Smith said of VanVleet. “He’s a great defender, another great three-point shooter to the lineup. He does a lot for us, does everything for us, honestly. So it’s good to have him back.”

Southwest Notes: Thompson, Whitmore, Pelicans Lineup, Brown

February 27th, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Tristan Tucker

With Fred VanVleet out for the past 11 games, Amen Thompson‘s ball-handling role has been amplified, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle observes.

“For sure, I feel like my play-making’s taken a step up, and they’ve put me in positions where they trust me to do that,” Thompson said. “I feel like it’s just more experience being at the one and knowing where my guys are gonna make their shots most of the time.”

While his play-making has been impressive (6.3 assists per game in his last 11 compared to 2.9 APG before that), it raises the question of exactly what Thompson’s offensive role will be when VanVleet returns. The Rockets will be fully healthy for the first time since December when VanVleet returns, but coach Ime Udoka hasn’t yet decided on a starting lineup.

Thompson has more than earned a continued stay in the starting lineup and he did start next to VanVleet earlier this year. However, the Rockets are just 5-6 in their last 11 games without their veteran point guard and will receive a boost when he returns.

“I think when we signed Fred, the beauty of him was that he could play on and off ball,” Udoka said. “He had been with [Pascal] Siakam and Kawhi Leonard, those guys, and always been a handler but another recipient because of the shooting. Obviously, that stands out. So [it’s] something he does pretty naturally, something I’m sure he’ll welcome. You know, get some easier shots [rather] than having to create and be on the ball all the time.”

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In the Rockets‘ past five games, swingman Cam Whitmore has only played 25 total minutes, with a pair of DNP-CDs. According to Udoka (Twitter link via Lerner), Whitmore’s drop in minutes is directly linked to Jabari Smith Jr.‘s return to the lineup. “There’s not a ton of minutes, just like at the start of the season, for all the wings,” Udoka said. “Like I said, depth is a really good problem but people are gonna get squeezed out for sure.” Whitmore is averaging 9.1 points per game in 38 appearances this season.
Pelicans center Kelly Olynyk is playing alongside rookie big man Yves Missi since coming from Toronto at the trade deadline. As Rod Walker of NOLA.com observes, New Orleans is finding some success with two-big lineups featuring the duo. The Pelicans have out-rebounded opposing teams in the three games with Olynyk and Missi playing next to each other. “We like the big lineups so far,” said coach Willie Green. “After many games of not being able to win the rebounding margin, we’re winning that and that’s giving us extra possessions. It’s allowing us to get out and play in transition.”
After averaging 10.5 minutes per game in his first two outings with the Mavericks, Moses Brown drew a start on Thursday, as noted by Dallas Hoops Journal’s Grant Afseth (Twitter link). Brown has tonight and Saturday’s game against the Bucks before his current 10-day deal expires. Due to Dallas’ restrictive hard-cap situation, the team won’t be able to re-sign him at that time.

Central Notes: Pistons, Beasley, Haliburton, Giannis, Jackson

February 27th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons delivered a statement victory on Wednesday, defeating the Celtics — who entered with a six-game winning streak — by 20 points. Detroit has won eight straight, its longest streak since the 2007/08 season.

“We knew this was going to be a tough challenge for us, but we’re just focused on the process of it all,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’re not looking past tonight or at what we’ve done in the past. The only thing we’re focusing on is every single night trying to be the best version of ourselves and tonight I think we were pretty close.”

Malik Beasley, a free agent after the season, continued to provide a huge boost off the bench with 26 points in 22 minutes.

“That shot-making ability just lifts people up,” Bickerstaff said. “When he’s hot and that ball’s in the air, you can tell when the ball leaves his hands and is taking the crowd’s breath away.”

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Tyrese Haliburton looks rejuvenated after some rest and relaxation during the All-Star break, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. Over the last four games, the Pacers guard is averaging 25.8 points per game on 63.2% shooting, including 52.6% of his 3-point attempts. He’s also averaging 11.8 assists during that stretch, compared to just 1.0 turnover per game. “I’m just playing free, having fun,” Haliburton said. “It always helps to see the first one go in. You just kind of react from there. I just thought I did a good job of staying aggressive all night, doing what was needed.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo was yanked to the floor via a hard foul by Houston’s Amen Thompson Tuesday night but the Bucks superstar said he had “no hard feelings” toward the Rockets‘ wing, according to Kristie Rieken of The Associated Press. Thompson was ejected after an officials’ review. “At the end of the day like you don’t wanna have a league that’s soft,” Antetokounmpo said. “I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they’re great competitors. I’m one of those guys. Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way (of) making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck.”
Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. has seen his minutes shrink this month and coach Doc Rivers indicated that roster moves are the reason, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. “Midseason trade. We brought in other guys that I think fill his role,” Rivers said. “His numbers were not great, with Giannis on the floor, those two guys together.”

Southwest Notes: Wells, Boston, Pelicans, VanVleet

February 26th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells has been one of the pleasant surprises of last year’s rookie class. As Spencer Davies of RG.org writes, the 21-year-old has been not just a rotation mainstay but a starter for the West’s No. 2 seed, averaging 11.4 points and 3.2 rebounds on .451/.382/.824 shooting in 25.8 minutes per game while taking on challenging defensive assignments. He also hasn’t missed a game thus far in 2024/25.

Wells is used to being underestimated, having played at Division II Sonoma State prior to transferring to Washington for the ’23/24 campaign. Despite being a second-round pick (No. 39 overall), he currently has the second-best betting odds for Rookie of the Year, only trailing Stephon Castle of the Spurs.

“I mean, I don’t really focus on it,” Wells told Davies of the ROY race. “I’m focused on getting a championship. And if it just so happens… I feel like if I’m playing winning basketball, it should fall right into my hands. So that’s kinda how my mindset is.”

According to Davies, Wells’ play has gotten the attention of several stars, including Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, who recently faced off against Wells and Memphis.

“On the offensive end, I didn’t know he shot it as well as he did, with confidence. He’s kind of made himself a staple over there,” Mitchell said. “They really rely on him to disrupt a lot of different things. He’s definitely really talented, and he’s only gonna get better. I give him a lot of credit for continuing to be that player and not really tripping on if I score or he gets scored on, or if he makes shots, doesn’t make shots. He’s been that way. I’ve been watching it all year, first time in person.”

Here are a few more notes from the Southwest Division:

Fourth-year guard Brandon Boston Jr. received a two-year, minimum-salary contract with a team option for ’25/26 when he was promoted by the Pelicans, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As Scotto notes, it’s possible New Orleans could decline that option in order to give Boston a longer-term deal in the offseason, though he couldn’t be made a restricted free agent in that scenario.
Boston (left ankle sprain), Bruce Brown (return to play reconditioning) and Kelly Olynyk (rest) are among seven Pelicans who will be sidelined for Thursday’s contest at Phoenix, per Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. It will be the seventh straight missed game for Boston, who last played on February 8. Veterans Brown and Olynyk, who were acquired from Toronto in the Brandon Ingram trade, are likely being held out of the first end of a back-to-back for precautionary reasons after missing most of the season while recovering from injuries.
Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has been sidelined since Feb. 1 due to a right ankle strain. His ankle’s range of motion is around 80% right now, according to head coach Ime Udoka, so he’ll be out again Wednesday, with the earliest he could return being Saturday vs. Sacramento (subscriber-only story via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). VanVleet is averaging 14.6 points, 5.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 45 games this season (35.5 MPG).

Southwest Notes: Powell, Christie, Smith Jr., Bagley

February 25th, 2025 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks won’t have Anthony Davis when they face the Lakers for the first time since the teams’ blockbuster deal that landed Luka Doncic in Los Angeles. They could get another big man back for the showdown. Dwight Powell, who has missed the last 16 games due to a hip injury, has been upgraded as questionable, Marc Stein tweets.

It’s expected that Powell will be active, Stein adds. Powell has appeared in 33 games off the bench this season, though he’s averaged just 7.6 minutes in those appearances.

The Lakers will honor Davis with a video tribute, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.

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Another of the players the Mavericks acquired from the Lakers was guard Max Christie. He has given Dallas a boost since the deal, averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in eight games. Christie told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears he’ll looking forward to Tuesday’s game but harbors no ill will toward his former team. “I’m not even looking at this game as a ‘revenge game,’” Christie said. “I’m actually looking forward to it from a sense that I get to see old teammates, old colleagues, old coaches. I’m looking forward to just enjoying that game. I want to win, obviously. The Lakers are a playoff team. They’re really, really good. It’s a good test for us as a matchup, as a team as well. But I’m not going in there with any bad blood or any intention of trying to drop 40 on them. I’m just going in there to try to win the game, play my game and let the game come to me.”
Blending Jabari Smith Jr.‘s offensive skills with the current rotation will be a key to the Rockets’ postseason success, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. If Houston has any hope of making a deep run, Smith must become more of a focal offensive option, according to Iko. Smith has played two games since recovering from a fractured hand, an injury he suffered on New Year’s Day.
Big man Marvin Bagley III wound up with the Grizzlies in a three-team trade earlier this month. Bagley, the No. 2 pick of the 2018 draft, has only made one brief appearance with Memphis. Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal explores how Bagley might carve out a role with the Grizzlies, his fourth team since entering the league. He’ll be a free agent after the season.

Cody Zeller Expected To Remain Away From Rockets

February 24th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Rory Maher

In a salary-dump deal just before the February 6 deadline, the Hawks traded veteran center Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick to Houston to move below the luxury tax threshold.

The 32-year-old big man has been on the Rockets‘ roster and payroll since that move was finalized, but he has not been around the team and the expectation is that arrangement will continue for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, team and league sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Zeller was signed to a multiyear contract by the Pelicans last offseason specifically to be used as a salary-matching piece in the Dejounte Murray trade. While he was technically a member of the Hawks for several months, he didn’t participate in training camp with Atlanta and agreed to remain away from the team indefinitely. The Rockets and Zeller have reached a similar agreement, Iko reports.

As Iko explains, the Rockets already had a crowded frontcourt prior to acquiring Zeller, with first-time All-Star Alperen Sengun manning the middle and Steven Adams and Jock Landale serving as the primary backup centers. Jabari Smith and Jeff Green have also been used as small-ball fives at times, Iko notes.

Although he’s taking up a roster spot, it doesn’t sound like Houston has any immediate plans to release Zeller. Iko points out that Zeller’s contract is non-guaranteed beyond this season ($3.68MM in ’25/26 and $3.85MM in ’26/27) and could again be used for salary-matching purposes if the Rockets decide to make trades in the 2025 offseason.

The fourth overall pick of the 2013 draft, Zeller spent his first eight NBA seasons in Charlotte before becoming a journeyman over the past handful of years, spending time with Portland, Miami and New Orleans from 2021-24. He holds career averages of 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 552 regular season games, including 275 starts (20.9 minutes per contest).