Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Taxpayers, Cap Room, Traded Cash, Sims, Lue, More

February 11th, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Prior to the trade deadline, 10 NBA teams projected to be taxpayers this season and the 20 non-taxpayers were each projected to receive $17.2MM as a result of those tax penalties, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

However, one of those 10 taxpayers – the Sixers – ducked below the tax line with a deadline deal, and the Nets‘ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades reduced Brooklyn’s projected end-of-season tax bill by approximately $100MM, Marks notes. As a result of those changes, among others, the luxury tax distribution at the end of the season will now be split among 21 teams and will be worth a projected $14.5MM, based on current team salaries, says Marks.

Danny Leroux of The Athletic also considers the financial impact of a busy trade deadline week, though he’s looking ahead to the offseason, breaking down which teams project to have the most cap room in the summer of 2023.

Leroux anticipates there will be eight teams with the ability to generate significant cap space, ranging from the Rockets at $61MM to the Pacers at $28MM. The Spurs ($40-48MM), Jazz ($31-45MM), Magic ($22-58MM), Hornets ($27-37MM), Thunder ($31MM), and Pistons ($30MM) are also in position to operate under the cap, Leroux writes. The range in projections for some of those teams is related to decisions on options and non-guaranteed salaries.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report has the details on the cash that changed hands at the trade deadline. In a series of tweets, Pincus reports that the Lakers sent $2MM to Magic in the Mohamed Bamba trade, the Suns sent $1MM to the Thunder in the Darius Bazley trade, the Clippers sent $1MM to the Hornets in the Mason Plumlee trade, and the Nets sent $1.36MM to the Pacers in the four-team Durant blockbuster.
Who will be available on the buyout market in the coming weeks? John Hollinger of The Athletic lists and ranks 32 buyout candidates (or players who have already been cut), starting with veteran guards Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson.
Circling back to a pair of pre-deadline stories: Knicks center Jericho Sims has committed to take part in this year’s dunk contest after Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe dropped out, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). And Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue will replace Suns head coach Monty Williams as an assistant on Steve Kerr‘s Team USA coaching staff, per a press release.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said this week that his company doesn’t plan to sell ESPN, according to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic, who adds that Iger expressed a desire for ESPN to retain NBA rights when the league negotiates its next media deal.

Buyout Rumors: Green, Westbrook, Bulls, Beverley, Ibaka, Heat, Sixers, Grizzlies

February 10th, 2023 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

After Rockets general manager Rafael Stone confirmed in a Friday press conference that Houston will simply waive John Wall, with no buyout required, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said during an appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link) that Danny Green would welcome a similar arrangement.

Both Wall and Green were acquired by Houston as salary-matching chips in the team’s Eric Gordon trade on Thursday. It’s unclear if Green would be willing to give up money as part of a buyout agreement.

If Green does become a free agent, teams like the Celtics and Cavaliers would be among those with interest, according to Wojnarowski. Woj also mentions “Los Angeles” as a potential Green suitor, though it’s unclear if he means the Lakers, the Clippers, or both — they each have an open spot on their 15-man roster.

Here’s more on the NBA’s buyout market:

Jazz general manager Justin Zanik told reporters on Friday that no decisions have been made yet on Russell Westbrook‘s future and that the veteran guard is open to the idea of playing for Utah to finish the season, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Westbrook is considered a strong candidate to be bought out.
Wojnarowski said today on NBA Today (YouTube link) that if Westbrook does become available, the Bulls are a team to watch as a potential frontrunner. Head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said today that the team plans to “look at” the buyout market, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The Clippers have also been linked to Westbrook, but Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times says the Clips aren’t expected to be overly active in the buyout market, adding that insiders around the league are skeptical about Westbrook landing with L.A.
The Magic and Patrick Beverley are working on a contract buyout, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Magic said on Thursday that they weren’t requiring Beverley to report to the team, so that news comes as no surprise.
Big man Serge Ibaka, who will be waived by Indiana, has some interest in joining the Heat, but it’s unclear if that interest is mutual, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
The Sixers and Grizzlies will take decidedly different approaches to the buyout market. Sixers executive Daryl Morey said today that moving under the tax line at the trade deadline sets up the team to potentially pursue “multiple” targets on the buyout market, per Kyle Neuback of PhillyVoice.com. Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman, on the other hand, said he doesn’t envision his team looking at the buyout market, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Southwest Notes: Wood, Hardaway, Poeltl, Rockets, Pelicans

February 9th, 2023 at 11:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite being the subjects of trade rumors for weeks, Mavericks veterans Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. remained with Dallas beyond this year’s trade deadline. Still, Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News notes that their futures with the club are somewhat unclear.

As Caplan writes, Hardaway’s inefficient play has made him and his remaining contract money tough to trade. Including this season, the veteran wing still has three years and $53.7MM left on his current deal.

Wood, meanwhile, is eligible for a four-year contract extension worth up to $77MM through the rest of the season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. A source tells Caplan that the Mavericks’ front office has not offered Wood an extension yet, in an effort to maximize the team’s flexibility this summer.

There’s more from around the Southwest:

The Spurs opted to ship center Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors, rather than have to pay him in free agency this summer, in part because the team reportedly was not comfortable paying the rim-protecting center more than $65MM over four years, per LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk. Ellis says San Antonio believes the bidding price for Poeltl will go well north of that sum.
New veteran Rockets additions Danny Green, Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky could ultimately be retained by Houston, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are set to assess if Green would like to remain on their roster, which has been their general policy with the veterans they’ve traded for in the recent past. Houston likes the possible fit of Holiday even past 2022/23, and Kaminsky has a connection with head coach Stephen Silas, thanks to their shared time on the Hornets.
The Pelicans made just one trade deadline deal, acquiring swingman Josh Richardson from the Spurs. William Guillory of The Athletic reveals that New Orleans hopes to bring Richardson, an unrestricted free agent this summer, back into the fold next season as well.

Eric Gordon To Clippers, Luke Kennard To Grizzlies In Three-Team Trade

February 9th, 2023 at 10:22pm CST by Rory Maher

10:22pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Rockets, Grizzlies, and Clippers.

As first reported by Kelly Iko of The Athletic and confirmed by the Rockets, the swap rights Houston got in the deal are top-six protected. So in the unlikely event that the Thunder’s and Clippers’ picks both land in the top six, the Rockets won’t be able to swap the Bucks’ first-rounder for the least favorable of those two picks.

The Rockets also confirmed that they’ve waived Boban Marjanovic to accommodate the extra incoming player in the deal. They’re expected to re-sign him once he clears waivers and Wall is released.

Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) has the details on the three second-round picks the Clippers acquired from the Grizzlies. They are as follows:

The Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick.
Either the Pacers’ 2024 second-round pick or the least favorable of the Cavaliers’ and Jazz’s 2024 second-round picks (whichever is most favorable).
The Grizzlies’ 2027 second-round pick.

1:20pm: The Clippers have reached an agreement to acquire veteran wing Eric Gordon from the Rockets, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania, the move will be part of a three-team deal that sends Luke Kennard to the Grizzlies, with Clippers guard John Wall headed back to Houston (Twitter links). The Rockets plan to waive Wall, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

Danny Green will be sent from Memphis to Houston in the trade, according to Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the Clippers are getting three second-round picks from the Grizzlies. The Rockets will also acquire the right to swap this year’s Bucks first-round pick with the Clippers’ first-rounder (or the Thunder’s first-rounder, if the Clippers pick is earlier in the draft), tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

It’s an interesting trade from all sides. The Clippers have needed a guard who could drive and shoot from outside while playing decent defense, and Gordon fits that bill when he’s playing well. Gordon has been in trade rumors for years, and now he’s headed back to the Clippers, who drafted him seventh overall back in 2008.

While the Clippers took a risk by potentially losing their own first-round pick, they’ll still be guaranteed to receive the Bucks’ first-rounder and will also get three second-rounders from Memphis, which isn’t bad at all considering they arguably got the best player in the trade. Gordon, 34, makes $19.57MM this season, but his $20.92MM salary for 2023/24 is non-guaranteed.

The Rockets had long been looking for a first-round pick for Gordon, and they’re essentially swapping Milwaukee’s potential late first-round pick (it would be 28th right now) for one with higher upside — the Clippers’ would be 18th right now. The Bucks (37-17) are currently six games ahead of the Clippers (31-27), but there’s still 20-plus games remaining for both teams.

Green has been one of the NBA’s best 3-and-D wings for the better part of a decade, winning three championships with the Spurs, Raptors and Lakers. He holds a 39.9% career mark from behind the arc, but he’s 35 years old and just made his season debut this month after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s playoffs. Green will be a free agent this summer.

Wall temporarily heading back to Houston after his troubled tenure with the Rockets is an ironic twist, as he’ll be waived by the same team that bought him out in the offseason — that’s how he signed with L.A. in the first place. He didn’t find much success with the Clippers, posting a poor shooting slash line of .408/.303/.681 for a team hoping to contend.

The Grizzlies rank just 24th in the league in 3-point percentage and get one of the league’s best shooters in the 26-year-old Kennard, who holds a career mark of 42.7% on 3s, including 44.7% this season. He is not a strong defensive player, but he’s a decent complementary play-maker.

Dealing away three second-rounders for a player who is nine years younger and on a reasonable long-term contract that will pay him about $45.2MM through 2025 (the final year is a team option) makes sense. Green is a very good, albeit streaker shooter, but Kennard is elite in that regard.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Hawks, Rockets Finalize Four-Player Swap

February 9th, 2023 at 7:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:04pm: The trade is now official, the Rockets and Hawks formally confirmed in a pair of press releases.

1:33pm: The Hawks are trading Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky to the Rockets for Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The Rockets are also acquiring two second-round picks that the Thunder owed the Hawks in 2024 and 2025, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets.

The trade provides some salary cap relief for Atlanta. Holiday is making approximately $6.3MM and Kaminsky is on a veteran’s minimum deal (approximately $2.46MM). Fernando ($2.7MM) and Mathews ($2MM) have non-guaranteed contracts for next season, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. There’s also a team option on Matthews’ contract for 2024/25.

None of the players in the deal were playing significant minutes. Holiday has played in 28 game this season, averaging 4.5 points in 14.7 minutes. Kaminsky has seen spot duty in 26 games.

Fernando has played 30 games (four starts) this season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 11.7 minutes. Mathews has appeared in 45 games off the bench this season, averaging 4.8 points in 13.4 minutes.

The 34th overall pick in 2019, Fernando spent his first two seasons in Atlanta, so the Hawks are familiar with him as a person and player.

Boban Marjanovic To Be Waived, Re-Signed By Rockets

February 9th, 2023 at 4:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets intend to waive and then re-sign Boban Marjanovic, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link).

Houston is receiving two players as part of the Eric Gordon trade and needs to release one from its current roster to finalize the deal, and Marjanovic will temporarily be the odd man out, Feigen writes.

However, assuming he goes through the waiver wire without getting claimed (which is a formality, as he makes $3.5MM and seldom plays), the Rockets will re-sign Marjanovic to a minimum-salary contract and retain his Bird rights, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Feigen.

The 34-year-old backup center will earn an additional $1MM this season as part of the moves, Feigen adds. Marjanovic has only appeared in 17 games for a total of 72 minutes this season, but he’s held in high regard as a locker room presence.

Trade Rumors: Bey, Wiseman, Bridges, Toppin, LeVert, Gordon, More

February 9th, 2023 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons and Warriors have engaged in discussions about a possible trade that would involve forward Saddiq Bey and center James Wiseman, reports Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

According to Fischer, Golden State has shown an increased willingness to move Wiseman and Detroit has interest in the former No. 2 overall pick — he was atop the Pistons’ draft board in 2020, notes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

Still, both Sankofa and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter links) say that no deal appears imminent between the Warriors and Pistons, so the talks may not ultimately bear fruit. According to Fischer (Twitter link), Golden State may be weighing an offer from Detroit against other trade opportunities.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA, with the deadline less than two hours away:

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Rockets are among the teams that have kicked the tires on Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, who are headed to the Nets as part of the Kevin Durant trade. However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) has heard that Brooklyn intends to hang onto Bridges through Thursday’s trade deadline.
The Pacers are among the teams to register interest for Knicks forward Obi Toppin, while the Kings are among the teams to have inquired about point guard Derrick Rose, says Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The asking price for Toppin is substantial, according to Begley.
The Cavaliers have informed veteran wing Caris LeVert that he won’t be traded before Thursday’s deadline, according to Matt Moore of Action Network.
Moore also reports that the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Knicks have made offers for Raptors forward OG Anunoby that include multiple draft picks. There has been internal debate within the Knicks organization about whether to include Immanuel Quickley in any trade offers, including for Anunoby, Moore writes.
Both Brian Smith and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter links) have heard rumblings about the increasing likelihood that Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon will be on the move today. Moore reported that there’s skepticism around the league about Houston’s ability to get a first-round pick for Gordon.

Trade Rumors: E. Gordon, Tate, Suns, Hyland, Vanderbilt, More

February 8th, 2023 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

The list of teams interested in Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon has narrowed to a handful of contenders, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who reports that the Suns and Clippers are among the clubs still in the mix.

Gordon has made his preference for a trade known to the Rockets, but Houston doesn’t plan to deal him just for the sake of it, says Iko. A source close to Gordon tells The Athletic that the veteran isn’t expected to push for a buyout if he’s still a Rocket after the deadline, so the club would be OK hanging onto him. However, if the Rockets get an offer that includes a first-round pick, a promising young player, or a “defensive-minded veteran on team-friendly money,” they’ll likely pull the trigger, Iko writes.

According to Iko, forward Jae’Sean Tate is among the other Rockets players drawing trade interest ahead of Thursday’s deadline. The Suns, Nuggets, Celtics, and Wizards are among the teams eyeing Tate, sources tell The Athletic. However, Houston still values the 27-year-old due in part to his selfless playing style and his attention to detail, per Iko, and would require a strong offer to part with him.

A few teams also inquired on second-year wing Josh Christopher, but those discussions didn’t go far, according to Iko, and the former first-round pick has been playing well as of late, averaging 12.4 PPG on 61.5% shooting in his last five games (18.5 MPG). He sounds likely to stay put in Houston.

Here are more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Multiple league sources tell Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscriber link) that the Raptors – along with the Pelicans and Timberwolves – have registered interest in Nuggets guard Bones Hyland. Singer has heard from sources that Denver believes it has traction on acquiring a first-round pick for Hyland, though the team would prefer to acquire a win-now player who could immediately step into the rotation. The Nuggets are prioritizing a defensive-minded wing, Singer reiterates.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) continues to hear from multiple sources that Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt is a leading trade target for the Sixers. Jake Fischer reported over the weekend that Philadelphia was interested in Vanderbilt.
The Nets sent $2.58MM in cash to the Kings in the Kessler Edwards trade that was completed on Tuesday, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). That money is enough to cover Edwards’ remaining salary for 2022/23 as well as his $1.93MM team option for ’23/24 if Sacramento chooses to pick it up.

Silas Consults Dunn On Challenges

February 5th, 2023 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rockets coach Stephen Silas doesn’t care when he uses his challenge as long as it results in a positive outcome for his team, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details. Assistant Will Dunn quickly uses replays and helps Silas decide when and if to challenge a call. “Points are points whether they are in the second or the fourth quarter,” Silas said. “Early in the game, if we’re pretty certain we’ll get points, we’ll use it and take the points. At any time of the game, three points mean a lot. I rely on Will a lot. … He does so much study on it. Sometimes, I’ll think I might challenge, and he’ll say, ‘Nah, nah, nah.’ Sometimes, I’ll make the call on my own.”

Southwest Notes: Johnson, Branham, Rockets, Green

February 2nd, 2023 at 11:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran forward Stanley Johnson has managed to grind his way to a major rotation role with the Spurs this season, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). McDonald notes that Johnson’s committed practice regimen has endeared him to this young rebuilding San Antonio club. Johnson joined the Spurs following a brief stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League in December.

“I’m trying to put everything I have, all my focus and energy, into the games and practices,” Johnson said. “I’m very thankful to have any chance to play, even if it’s two minutes a game… I don’t take that lightly. To see a coaching staff that believes in me enough to put me out there on a nightly basis, I’m really grateful for it. It hasn’t happened for my whole career, and it could go away at some point.”

Through 25 games with the Spurs, Johnson is averaging 5.7 PPG on .531/.444/.647 shooting. The 6’6″ vet is also chipping in 3.0 RPG and 2.3 APG.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Spurs rookie shooting guard Malaki Branham is growing as a ball-handler, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). Branham has gotten extended run due to injuries to several San Antonio wings ahead of him in Gregg Popovich‘s rotation. “It’s being thrown in the fire and being ready to play every night,” Branham said. “I feel like I have been doing a good job at that.”
The rebuilding Rockets have a significant supply of draft equity as well as the contracts of veterans Eric Gordon and Boban Marjanovic to play with as the trade deadline looms. Kelly Iko and John Hollinger of The Athletic examine Houston’s options and how any moves might impact the club’s long-term future.
Grizzlies swingman Danny Green made his season debut for his new team on Wednesday following a knee surgery last spring, writes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Green scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting from the floor in 10 minutes against the Trail Blazers. “It was good to get out there and be with the guys,” Green said. “Trying to figure out some things offensively and defensively. Try to build the chemistry… It was fun. Obviously, would’ve been nice to win the game but for me it was good to get out and play a little bit.” Green, 35, is on an expiring $10MM contract this year.