Danuel House

Jazz Sign Danuel House To Third 10-Day Contract

12:09pm: House has officially signed his new 10-day contract with the Jazz, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.


8:10am: The Jazz are re-signing forward Danuel House to a new 10-day contract, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). House’s previous 10-day deal with the club expired on Thursday night.

House, 28, has appeared in six games so far with Utah, averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 19.8 minutes per contest. He has a shooting line of .429/.333/.636 in those six games and has played his usual solid defense on the wing.

House, who began the season with the Rockets, was waived in December by Houston and quickly caught on with the Knicks on a 10-day hardship deal. After that deal expired, he signed with the Jazz, first on a 10-day hardship contract, then on a standard 10-day pact.

A player typically isn’t permitted to sign more than two 10-day contracts with the same time in a season, but hardship deals don’t count toward that limit, so House is permitted to sign a third 10-day contract with the Jazz, since it’s only his second standard 10-day.

According to Jones, House is expected to finalize his new deal on Friday and to be active for tonight’s game in Memphis. That means his contract would run through February 6, covering the Jazz’s next four games. At that point, Utah would have to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, since he wouldn’t be eligible for another standard 10-day deal.

The Jazz currently only have 13 players on standard, full-season contracts, so even if they were to make a rest-of-season commitment to House before the trade deadline, they’d still have an opening on their 15-man roster, giving them some roster flexibility.

Jazz Notes: House, Mitchell, Gobert, Barnes

Danuel House is playing on his second 10-day contract with Utah (the first was via a hardship exception, the current one is a standard deal, which expires Friday), and Sarah Todd of The Deseret News makes the case for the Jazz to keep him around. If they want to prioritize roster flexibility, the Jazz could opt to re-sign House to a second standard 10-day contract which would expire just ahead of the February 10 trade deadline.

Utah has two open roster spots and needs high-energy wing defenders, which House has provided thus far, according to Todd. House says playing for the Jazz has been a great experience.

They welcomed me with open arms, accepted me, no one has ever turned me down, they always ask me if I need anything, they always make me comfortable,” House said. “So especially being a guy that has been accustomed to a certain way for years, and then you come over here and to be welcomed — it makes you really enjoy the process and everything.”

Through six games in a limited role with Utah (19.8 MPG), House is averaging a modest 6.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.7 APG. However, Todd writes that House’s impact goes beyond the standard stat sheet, creating deflections, hustling after loose balls and contesting shots. Coach Quin Synder likes what he’s seen from House.

Just intensity and competitiveness,” Snyder said of House after the Jazz’s 115-109 loss to the Suns on Monday night. “I think playing hard is as much a skill as anything else and you saw a guy who’s hungry and played hard.”

Todd thinks it’s an easy decision for Utah to give House another 10-day contract and believes the Jazz should seriously consider signing him for the remainder of the season after that.

Here’s more on the Jazz:

  • Two-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell might return to action this weekend, Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune relays. Mitchell has been in the NBA’s concussion protocol after receiving an inadvertent elbow from Russell Westbrook on Jan. 17. He could suit up as soon as Friday at Memphis.
  • Within the same column, Walden says that Rudy Gobert‘s calf strain is still causing him problems. His recovery timeline remains murky, with Walden stating that Gobert could be sidelined for “several more games at the very least,” but that isn’t set in stone. The Jazz plan to be conservative with the injury, as calf strains can be tricky to recover from. He will be listed as day-to-day for the time being.
  • Count Kings forward Harrison Barnes among the players Utah has shown interest in, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (hat tip to HoopsHype).

Jazz Sign Danuel House To Second 10-Day Deal

2:14pm: The Jazz have officially announced House’s new 10-day contract.


8:14am: The Jazz intend to bring back forward Danuel House on a new 10-day contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). House’s first 10-day deal with the team, completed using a hardship exception, expired on Saturday night.

House began the season with the Rockets and has signed 10-day contracts with the Knicks and Jazz since being waived by Houston.

After barely playing for New York, House saw action in three games with Utah, averaging 5.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .417/.444/1.000 shooting in 18.0 MPG. The 28-year-old was a rotation player for the Rockets for the last few years, but was no longer in Houston’s plans as the organization pivoted toward a full-fledged rebuild.

The Jazz appear likely to re-sign House to a standard 10-day contract rather than another hardship deal. Utah still has two players – Jared Butler and Hassan Whiteside – in the health and safety protocols after Elijah Hughes exited them, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). However, the team also still has Denzel Valentine and Zylan Cheatham on active hardship contracts and wouldn’t be eligible for a third hardship addition.

On top of that, the Jazz currently only have 13 players on standard contracts. Our working assumption is that they’re required to add a 14th man very soon, since they dipped to 13 on January 4 and teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players for up to two weeks at a time.

Given how many tweaks the league has made to its roster rules this season to account for COVID-related absences, it’s possible the hardship players Utah has signed in the last two weeks counted toward the team’s minimum roster count, but I don’t believe that’s the case.

House will earn $111,457 over the course of his new 10-day deal. Assuming it’s a standard 10-day contract, it will count for $95,930 against the Jazz’s cap.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Blazers, Jazz, J. Green, Wolves

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard isn’t traveling with the team on its upcoming six-game road trip, which will begin on Thursday in Denver, head coach Chauncey Billups said on Sunday. As Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report tweets, the plan is for Lillard to meet with a specialist to determine the next steps to treat his lower abdominal tendinopathy.

In a full article for Bleacher Report, Highkin says not to be surprised if the Trail Blazers decide to shut down Lillard for an extended period, perhaps even the rest of the season.

As Highkin explains, that would be a logical route to take for a 15-24 Portland team that hasn’t met expectations in the first half of the season. Lillard’s long-term health is the most important factor in the Trail Blazers’ future, so taking the time to get him back to 100% makes sense — and could put the Blazers in position to secure a lottery pick in 2022. Portland owes its 2022 first-rounder to Chicago, but only if it lands outside of the top 14.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores the subject in his latest article as well, contending that it’s time for the Trail Blazers to reset. In O’Connor’s view, it would be in the team’s best interests to hang onto Lillard and youngsters Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little while shopping Jusuf Nurkic, Robert Covington, and even CJ McCollum.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Danuel House, who is on a 10-day contract with the Jazz, made a case on Friday for a longer-term deal with the team, scoring 13 points and handing out four assists, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News details. Utah has two openings on its 15-man roster, so there’s an opportunity for House if he can take advantage of it. He went scoreless in 13 minutes during his second game with Utah on Saturday.
  • The Jazz got forward Joe Ingles back from out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols today, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. However, rookie Jared Butler and big man Udoka Azubuike have both entered the protocols, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links), so Utah now has five players affected.
  • Nuggets forward Jeff Green is thrilled to still be playing in the NBA 10 years after he underwent open-heart surgery in 2012, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “A lot of GMs, a lot of teams told me I wouldn’t even make it past five (years in the NBA),” Green told Singer. “To be here (at) 10, I’m just blessed, man. I’m thankful … and I’m glad they told me that.”
  • Karl-Anthony Towns has liked what he’s seen from this year’s Timberwolves, who are currently in a play-in spot with a 20-20 record. You’re seeing a maturation of a young team finding their own,” Towns said on Sunday, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link). “I think everyone in the NBA is seeing an identity being built in Minnesota, something I think has been lacking in this organization for a long, long time.”

Western Notes: Adams, Zubac, LeBron, House, Nowell

Grizzlies starting center Steven Adams has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, the team’s PR tweets. Adams had been the only member of the team to play in every game this season, per Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).

In other COVID-19 news, Clippers center Ivica Zubac has cleared the protocols and is listed as questionable (reconditioning) for Saturday’s game against Memphis, per the Clippers’ PR department (via Twitter).

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • The Lakers have found success with LeBron James at center lineups, and Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews relays that it’s the next evolution of James’ lengthy career. Duncan writes that in 345 minutes with James as the lone big man, his per-36 averages are 32.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists (2.0 turnovers), 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks with a 61/41/83 shooting line. More importantly, L.A. has outscored opponents by 7.2 points per 100 possessions during those minutes.
  • Since the Jazz were only carrying 13 players on standard contracts, there was some uncertainty about whether Danuel House had received a traditional or hardship exception 10-day deal, but Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets that it used a hardship exception. House’s contract won’t count against the salary cap or luxury tax, but it’s still an opportunity for him to potentially earn a roster spot with Utah, as the team is only carrying 14 players on standard deals. He had 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 26 minutes in his debut Friday, a 122-108 loss to Toronto.
  • With the Timberwolves shorthanded due to COVID-19 absences, Jaylen Nowell stepped up and earned his guaranteed contract, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Hine notes that Nowell was averaging 13.9 points over his last 10 games entering Friday, while shooting 50% from the field and 36% on three-pointers. Nowell concedes he may not be the most explosive player, but he’s still finding ways to be effective. “I watch a lot of older players and how they maneuver and got to the rim,” Nowell said. “I’m not the most explosive guy. I have a little bit of explosiveness, so I can use that to my advantage. … I’ve got to find certain ways to get to the spots I want.”

Jazz Sign Danuel House To 10-Day Contract

JANUARY 6: House’s 10-day contract with Utah is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.


JANUARY 5: The Jazz intend to sign forward Danuel House to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

House, who averaged 9.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .431/.373/.759 shooting in 138 games (27.7 MPG) for the Rockets in the three years preceding 2021/22, struggled and fell out of Houston’s rotation this season. He was waived by the Rockets in December and signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Knicks a few days later, appearing briefly in just one game for New York before his deal expired over the weekend.

It’s unclear whether House will be added on a standard 10-day contract or if it will be a hardship deal. The Jazz do have one player (Joe Ingles) in the health and safety protocols, but they’re also below the standard roster minimum, carrying just 13 players. Teams are permitted to dip below 14 players, but only for up to two weeks at a time.

We’ve seen teams with 14 players complete hardship signings that don’t count against the cap this season, but it remains to be seen if a club carrying just 13 players would be granted the same leeway.

Knicks Sign Danuel House To 10-Day Contract

After being waived last weekend by the Rockets, forward Danuel House has found a new NBA home, at least temporarily. The Knicks have signed House to a 10-day contract, the club announced in a press release.

It’s a hardship signing for the Knicks, who still have five players in the health and safety protocols even after Obi Toppin and RJ Barrett were cleared. New York has already signed three other replacement players to 10-day contracts — House joins Tyler Hall, Damyean Dotson, and Matt Mooney.

House had been a reliable contributor for the Rockets in past years, averaging 9.7 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .431/.373/.759 shooting in 138 games (27.7 MPG) in the three seasons preceding 2021/22. However, he fell out of Houston’s rotation this year as the team prioritized younger players. In 16 games (14.6 MPG), he averaged just 4.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG on .338/.294/.895 shooting.

House, whose $3,894,000 salary with the Rockets for this season was fully guaranteed, will earn another $111,457 on his 10-day deal with New York. That money won’t count against the Knicks’ team salary for cap or tax purposes.

House’s contract will run through January 1, covering the Knicks’ next five scheduled games.

Rockets Waive House, Promote Mathews, Sign Queen

DECEMBER 18: The Rockets announced via a press release they have converted Mathews’ two-way contract into a standard contract, signed Queen to a two-way contract, and waived House.


DECEMBER 17: The Rockets are waiving Danuel House, signing two-way player Garrison Mathews to a standard four-year contract worth more than $8MM, and signing wing Trevelin Queen to a two-way deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN (All Twitter links).

The Rockets had been looking for a way to create an opening on their 15-man roster in order to convert Mathews, and they’ve done so by waiving House. Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that the Rockets will use a portion of their mid-level exception to convert Mathews to a standard contract.

The Rockets will be responsible for the full $3.9MM of House’s guaranteed contract this season, although he’s already earned approximately $1.4MM, so it’s really an additional $2.5MM, as Marks tweets.

House has been out of Houston’s rotation this season as the team prioritizes younger players. In 16 games this season (14.6 MPG), he averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG on .338/.294/.895 shooting. If he clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

The Rockets claimed Mathews off waivers the day before the season started and converted his Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract. He’s certainly earned his promotion to a standard deal; in 11 games since entering the starting lineup, Mathews has averaged 14.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG on .435/.378/.795 shooting in 33 MPG. He’s attempting 8.2 three-pointers (3.1 makes) and 3.5 free throws during that stretch, a very nice shot profile for an analytically-driven Houston team. The Rockets are 7-4 over those 11 games.

The 24-year-old Queen has been playing with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grand Valley Vipers. In 10 games with the Vipers, he’s averaging 22.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.3 APG and 2.9 SPG.

Rockets Notes: House, Christopher, Lucas, Green

When he first joined the Rockets in 2018/19, Danuel House was a young player being shown the ropes by veterans like James Harden and Chris Paul. Three years later, the 28-year-old has become one of the veterans on a young Houston squad and has embraced the responsibility that comes along with that, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes.

“As one of the older guys, it’s helping guys, especially guys in my position, knowing who we guard and what we’re doing,” House said. “The same thing I was taught is what I’m giving back. It’s a cycle. What the guys that were here in a Rockets uniform taught me before they went to their next destination. I’m trying to give it to the guys that are still here with me.”

House has missed the Rockets’ last six games due to a sprained right foot, but is poised to return to action on Wednesday vs. Detroit.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

  • Although he was a first-round pick in July, Josh Christopher hasn’t seem much action yet and has been overshadowed by Houston’s more high-profile rookies. However, the Rockets have loved the team-first attitude he has brought to the club, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “The way he talks, the way he works: during practice, after practice, before games, after games. The spirit that he offers up to the group. All those things are what culture personified looks like,” assistant coach Will Weaver said. “And when you can have someone doing that who’s not getting minutes, that to me speaks even louder than guys who are in the rotation providing those kinds of behaviors.”
  • Tim MacMahon of ESPN takes a look at the impact that veteran assistant coach John Lucas is having on the Rockets’ youngsters, including No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green and third-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. By his own admission, Lucas takes more of a tough-love approach to teaching than head coach Stephen Silas, who is relatively laid back. Discussing his work with Green, Lucas said, “My love for him is not praising his ass, but to keep a foot in it.”
  • Given that the Rockets project to be picking pretty high in the 2022 draft, Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle decided to take an early look at some of the top college prospects that fans in Houston should be monitoring this season.

Southwest Notes: Kidd, McDermott, House, Williams

New Mavericks coach Jason Kidd used his entire active roster during the first three quarters of Tuesday’s game, writes Tim Cato of the Athletic. All 15 players saw time on the court, which is a rarity in a league where rotations typically involve nine or 10 players unless the game has already been decided.

Kidd said the idea of playing everybody was developed by the team’s leadership council, which is made up of Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. They offered the suggestion Tuesday during their first official meeting with their coach in that capacity.

“It’s a cool thing, because we always talk about (players who are) 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 (on the roster) as part of the team and they tend to not get to play,” Kidd said. “The matrix was in a twist, but we figured it out.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • An MRI on Doug McDermott‘s right knee was negative, but the Spurs expect him to miss their upcoming three-game road trip, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The knee swelled up after he hurt it in Tuesday’s game. He’s projected to return to the court November 3.
  • Rockets forward Danuel House suffered a sprained right foot Tuesday night, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. House landed awkwardly after saving a loose ball from going out of bounds and was visibly limping after the play. X-rays were negative, but he wore a walking boot when he returned to the bench later in the game.
  • LeBron James said it was a “weird dynamic” to play against Grizzlies rookie Ziaire Williams, who was his son’s high school teammate two years ago, per Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. It was a big deal for Williams as well to be on the same court with “Uncle LeBron,” who was in the crowd for a lot of those high school games. “It was fun to see a different side of him,” Williams said. “He’s always fun and joking around with us at Sierra Canyon watching games so it was cool to see him in his element when things are serious.”